Strange and Beautiful
by LemonStar
Summary: AU. When Hermione is the person at the bottom of the lake for Cedric to rescue during the second task, everyone is surprised. None more than Cedric and Hermione themselves. How can they mean something to each other when they don't even know each other?
1. Every Great Love Story Has a Beginning

_A/N: This is just more like an introduction chapter to the story. I have it all planned out in my head and it is going to possibly be a long one. I'm not sure though if anyone will like this. Things aren't clear in this first chapter but things will slowly be explained as the story progresses. Please let me know what you think, This is my first Cedric/Hermione fic and I want to do a good job. Thank you!_

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AU. When Hermione is the person at the bottom of the lake for Cedric to rescue during the second task, everyone is surprised - none more than Cedric and Hermione. How can they mean something to each other when they don't even know each other? What is their connection? Why does everything between them seem as if it has happened between them before in another earlier time? They do not know what is happening between them but they do know that it is a strong magic felt never before by either of them.

**Strange and Beautiful **by Lemonstar

Chapter One – Every Great Love Story Has a Beginning

It seemed impossible to him now but there had indeed been a time when he didn't know her but simply knew _of_ her. Everyone at Hogwarts at least knew of the Golden Trio as they were often referred to as amongst the students. There were always stories circulating about Harry Potter and his ever-present best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. It seemed that a year couldn't go by without some sort of incident taking place that was kept hush-hush, though rumors always spread nonetheless. Stories of trolls and three headed dogs and a mysterious Stone, of fighting a Basilisk slithering around in chambers underneath the school, of using a Time-Turner, a rat turning into a man and of and battling Dementors. No one outside of the trio, and a few select professors at the school, ever knew what the truth was.

Cedric, like most, was curious about them but he had never spoken to any of them. For one, he never had a reason to. He was a Hufflepuff and a sixth year while the three were in Gryffindor and were only in their fourth year. They didn't have a reason to ever socialize. But that didn't mean he didn't notice them – especially her. She had changed the most since their first year and he had watched along with the other students as the first years were sorted. Her hair was bushy then, her teeth almost too big. But Cedric had thought she was cute – as cute as an eleven year old could be anyway. But she had slowly changed, transforming into the young woman she was now: thinner, taller, her brown hair now a bit lighter from the sun and the locks of curly waves far more under control. Her eyes were still as big and brown as ever and they seemed to completely hypnotize him the instant he finally got close enough to look into them.

The first incident, the first meeting, between them was one that neither would be able to ever forget for it was such a strange occurrence, even to those belonging to the wizarding world.

They were all going to the Quidditch World Cup together. His father, Amos Diggory, and Arthur Weasley worked at the Ministry together so it was decided that they would take a portkey together to the game grounds. Cedric wasn't at all surprised that Harry and Hermione had accompanied Ron with his family. Cedric wondered if the three ever did anything or went anywhere without one another. He looked at them and felt slight pang of envy. He had many friends at school, he being one of the most popular and well-liked students at Hogwarts, but even amongst all of his companions, he was not as close to any of them as those three were to each other. But just as the jealousy appeared, it passed just as quickly. And as they all made their way to the portkey, that was when it happened.

Cedric and Hermione looked towards one another at the same exact moment, as if their eyes had been magnetically drawn together, and neither looked away for what felt like the longest moment of eternity. But then he ungracefully tripped over a tree root sticking out of the ground and Hermione giggled behind her hand, turning her head back to Ginny Weasley as the two girls began to whisper feverishly about something. Cedric flushed with embarrassment before picking his pace up and catching up to his father and Arthur walking a bit ahead of the rest of the pack. He wasn't sure why he had stared or why he wanted to turn and stare at her again. She wasn't the most beautiful girl he had ever seen but there was something that was completely captivating about her and Cedric wanted to look and figure out what it was. She wore blue jeans and a blue shirt underneath a green zippered hooded sweater. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a few stubborn locks that insisted on loosening from the rubberband and that she tucked behind her ears every few minutes it seemed. Cedric envisioned pushing the strands out of her face for her.

He wasn't sure where these thoughts were coming for he knew that they were not normal ones to be having – especially about a girl he didn't even know and had yet to still actually exchange words with. And yet… it felt natural to him to want to look at her. He after all was a male and she was a female and they were humans, it being in their very nature to want to look at one another.

As Amos and Arthur discussed work, ribbing coworkers and one another, and Amos slapped a hand on Cedric's back, Cedric glanced over his shoulder back at Hermione. He smiled slightly when he saw that she was doing some of her own staring in his direction but the instant their eyes met for the second time, she blushed fiercely and looked down at her feet as she walked. They were nearing the portkey and Cedric knew that when they arrived at the game, they would be separated. He and his father had their own accommodations while the Weasley family had their own. Cedric stopped walking and waited for her to walk past him. He found his palms to be sweating, another odd reaction for him to be having. He had experience with the opposite sex, having been in an on again/off again relationship with Cho Chang for some time now but he had never approached Cho – just like he had never approached any girl before. They all came to him. Very little work was involved on his part and now, with Hermione, he wanted to talk to her, to walk with her, and he didn't even know how to.

Hermione and Ginny walked past him, Hermione lifting her head and their eyes meeting once again, her hand brushing against his as she moved past him. Cedric looked down at his hand, a strange buzzing sensation now shocking through his nerves, shooting up his arm and throughout his body in a jolt. He heard Hermione gasp and he wondered if she felt the same stirring that he did.

"Cedric!" Amos exclaimed jovially, beckoning for his son to come to him.

Cedric didn't hear though. He had turned to look at the sun and for a brief moment, no more than a second, he saw a flash of skin. It seemed to belong to a girl's stomach – pale and flat. His hand, he recognized his own was resting on it and he heard soft laughter – the sound echoing in his head, haunting him, teasing him.

"Cedric?" Amos asked, now frowning as he saw his son standing completely motionless, staring off into seemingly nothingness.

Cedric smelled something he did not recognize and yet fell as if he had smelled it before. The air hanging in front of his nose smelled something exotic. A fruit or a flower. It was the scent of something that was definitely a bit difficult to find in a place like England. He didn't know what it was and yet, staring into the sun, with another flash of the mysterious stomach, something that felt so real, Cedric could swear that he could feel the flesh on his fingertips, that particular scent seemed to be very familiar, and a source of comfort, to him.

"Cedric!"

A hand, his father's, grabbing his arm and shaking him jolted him back to the present and he found several pairs of curious eyes looking at him, watching him closely. His father's eyes were of concern while Fred and George Weasley, as well as Ron and Harry's eyes were watching him as if he was the strangest creature he had ever seen. Hermione wasn't looking at him but instead, now stood away from him and he knew that she had put as much distance between them as she could and he knew that she had done so deliberately. Her arms were crossed over her stomach and she seemed to be trembling, frightened. Ginny was standing in front of her, trying to talk to her but whatever she was saying, Hermione didn't seem to be hearing her friend.

"What?" Cedric asked innocently as if he had no idea as to why they were staring at him in such manners.

Amos's mouth formed a frown and his brows furrowed with deep concern. "Are you alright, son?" He asked, her hand immediately seeking his forehead in the typical fatherly fashion of concern.

Cedric nodded his head, swallowing the cotton that had mysteriously appeared in his mouth to make it so unbearably dry. "Yes," he said slowly, turning back towards the sun. "Just a little tired I guess."

He wanted to go to Hermione, he wanted to touch her again and see if something like that would happen again. Of course, Cedric had no idea what had just happened. He felt as if he was having déjà vu. He could feel the flesh of that stomach still tickling his fingertips and the hand in which Hermione brushed again was still tingling as if it had fallen asleep and the blood was pumping through his veins again, giving it that pins and needles sensation. It had shocked his entire being but it was something he desperately wanted to feel again.

They all continued on their walk but before she could follow, she gasped upon feeling Cedric grabbing her hand and tugging her back away from the others. She spun around to face him but she instantly lowered her eyes and looked at the ground, not able to stand the intensity within his grey eyes. His hand kept holding hers, grasping onto her, their fingers slowly interlocking. It was as if it was the most natural thing for them to do and Hermione slowly lifted her head once more. Cedric stared at her and she blushed but she kept her eyes locked with his.

"What was that?" He asked softly, keeping his voice low even though everyone was already far ahead of them. "What just happened?"

Hermione shook her head, opening her mouth to speak but then closing it again. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know him. She knew _of_ him but she didn't know anything about him – just the stories she heard girls giggling over about the cute, handsome and above all things, sexy Cedric Diggory. Hermione took a step back away from him, removing her hand from his. None of this made sense to her and the faster she got away from it all, and him, the better she would feel. Without looking at him, she turned and began to run back towards Harry, Ron and Ginny.

Cedric didn't move for a moment but watched her. Something was happening, something in the air was shifting. And he knew that things between him and Hermione Granger, of all people, were about to become quite interesting. At least he hoped so. It was already confusing.


	2. I Was Always Meant to Save You

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews of the first chapter. I honestly wasn't expecting as many as I got considering I know it was rather confusing. Each chapter will begin to reveal more and more. Also, since this is a completely AU story, Harry is not part of the Tri-Wizard tournament. Thank you for reading and please keep reviewing. Thank you!_

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Chapter Two – I Was Always Meant to Save You

Hermione Granger was haunting him. He had tried concentrating on Cho. He should have been concentrating on her. And he had tried. He truly did. Cho had been his date to the Yule Ball. He hadn't even really asked her but it had been assumed by both that they would go together. But as they had danced, and Cedric's eyes followed the girl across the hall in the periwinkle dress, Cedric had begun to wonder whether he should have asked Hermione like he had actually thought of doing. He hadn't spoken to her since the Quidditch World Cup but he seemed to start to see her everywhere. In the hallways, in the Great Hall during meals, in the library. When he had put his name into the Goblet of Fire, he had turned his head and it was as if his eyes had sought hers out for his gaze immediately fell upon her. He had wanted to ask her to the Yule Ball but he didn't. And he wasn't sure both why he had wanted to ask her and why he didn't.

And now, she was floating at the bottom of the Black Lake, in the middle of the village of the merpeople, her eyes closed, her skin so pale, it was almost translucent. Cedric floated in front of her for a moment. He was the first to arrive and he looked at the other three "valuables" floating on either side of her. There was a girl with blonde hair that matched Fleur's and then another student from Durmstrang. Cedric knew that Hermione was the one he was there to save. He pointed his wand towards the seaweed bound to her ankle, a ray of red light shooting from the end and burning through the weed. He caught her, wrapping one arm around her waist. She felt like one of those inflatable toys in muggle pools, she was so light. As he began kicking towards the surface, he saw Viktor and Fleur both making their way towards their person. Cedric kicked harder. His bubble-head charmer was going to wear off soon and he wanted him and Hermione safe back onto solid ground before that even had a chance of happening.

This time, with his arm wrapped securely around her, there were no flashes of skin or sounds of laughter or scents of exotic flowers. This time, when he held her, he felt warmth in the cold waters of the lake. And just as it was before, Cedric did not understand why this girl, Hermione Granger, was getting him all out of sorts with himself. It didn't make any sense. He did not even know this girl – and that was what she was. She was a girl. A fourteen year old girl. And he was seventeen. He was a tri-wizard champion. He was practically a man. Feeling this… way whenever he was around Hermione made him feel as if he was doing something wrong. None of it made sense to him and he had suffered through many headaches in the months since the Quidditch World Cup when he thought about it and tried to figure it out. But no matter how often and how hard he tried to make sense of this all, he was no closer to an answer and he was just as confused as he had been at the World Cup.

They broke through the surface and by the sound of the cheers, Cedric knew that he was the first to reappear above the waters. The spells instantly broke and both Cedric and Hermione began to cough violently, gasping for air. Hermione, not sure where she was or what had happened, was thrashing, her arms trying to grab onto something and her feet desperate for solid ground. Cedric put his arms around her waist again and it seemed to almost immediately calm her down. Her arms wound around his neck and she hugged him, her body trembling against his and keeping one arm around her, he began to swim towards one of the three waiting makeshift wooden docks that had been built. Hermione was still clinging to him and he didn't want to let her go, even when hands from above grabbed them and pulled each of them up. Two of his best friends, Michael and Andrew, instantly clapped him on the back and threw towels around him, but Cedric barely heard them. Professor McGonagall had wrapped a towel around Hermione's still shaking body and was saying something to her but Hermione didn't seem to be hearing either.

Instead, Cedric and Hermione were staring at one another. And it was then that most of the people around them, the professors and some student supporters of each Tri-Wizard champion, began to take notice that Hermione Granger, bookworm extraordinaire and best friend to Harry Potter, had been the one at the bottom of the lake as Cedric Diggory's "valuable". She had been the one chosen for him to save. And everyone, including Cedric and Hermione, had no idea as to why. The whispers began and Hermione shifted uncomfortably by it all.

"I thought it would have been Cho," Michael was saying with Andrew nodding in agreement but Cedric had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping that Cho made less sense than having Hermione down there. Just because they had gone to the Yule Ball together did not mean that Cho meant something to him. He and Hermione hadn't even really talked to one another but it was obvious to him, and probably to her too, that there was something between them.

Cedric moved away from his friends and stood for a moment, staring at Hermione as she watched the water, continuing to tremble. He wasn't sure if it was from the cold or not. He dared himself to go to her. The cheers rose from the crowd again when Viktor and his friend popped out of the water followed by Fleur and her little sister by just mere seconds. Cedric had won by a landslide. The Hogwarts students began cheering, it growing steadily to a deafening roar. Cedric went to Hermione and she turned before he could fully stand next to her.

She didn't say anything. She barely looked him in the eye but she did slide her arms suddenly around his waist, their wet clothes heavy on their bodies, and she hugged him tightly. But before he could truly react like he wanted to, before he could wrap his arms around her and hug her in return, she had pulled away. She was staring at him and he knew that she was expecting him to have answers to all of the questions swimming both of their heads at the moment. And that scared him. Because this was Hermione Granger. She was a know-it-all. She was the smartest witch in her class, one of the smartest in all of Hogwarts and if Hermione didn't know why she was at the bottom of the lake for him to rescue, well then he certainly wouldn't know.

"Are you alright?" He asked, reaching out and brushing a stray week hair plastered on her cheek behind her ear.

"I'm fine," she said softly, nodding her head. "Just a bit shaken up. And cold. I'm really cold now."

Cedric laughed shortly at that then rubbed the back of his neck. "Here," he said without much thought. He could easily get another blanket and right now, he wanted to seem chivalrous. He had just rescued her from the merpeople and yet, he still felt the need to impress her. He took the blanket from off his shoulders and draped it around hers, his hands rubbing her upper arms up and down gently.

"Thank you," she said, shyly lifting her eyes to meet his. They stood there, staring at one another, her fingers clutching the blankets around her and Cedric rubbing her, trying to warm her up. "And thank you for…" she couldn't seem to find the words which Cedric felt odd since being eloquent with words seemed to always be one of her strong suits. He nodded his head though, knowing what she was thanking him for. She lowered her eyes for a fleeting moment before took a deep breath and looked back up at him. She opened her mouth to say something and Cedric took a step towards her so he would not miss a word. She had the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen – the most beautiful eyes period. She was actually quite beautiful in that natural way and he wondered how no one had noticed it before. His heart was thumping rapidly in his chest and he was certain that it had nothing to do with the adrenaline rush from the second task.

"_AND FOR THE SECOND TASK… FIRST PLACE, CEDRIC DIGGORY OF HOGWARTS!" _

Professor Dumbledore shouted and the cheers became louder. Michael and Andrew laughed, grabbing both of Cedric's hands and held them above his head like a champion. Cedric couldn't help but smile slightly as he continued looking down at Hermione. She was looking up at him and there seemed to almost be a hint of pride within those chocolate orbs of hers.

"Hermione!"

Cedric looked and saw Harry and Ron pushing through the crowd to get to her. Although he knew that they were her best friends, his smile faded and he clenched on his jaw as he watched her fling her arms around both boys' necks, the blankets she had around her shoulders falling to the ground. Cedric watched and was not sure why he felt a jolt of jealousy. Honestly, what reason did he have to be jealous? Ron and Harry were her best friends and Cedric was no one. Well, he wasn't no one but he was at least to Hermione. And he wasn't sure why he felt sick just thinking that he was nothing to her. He knew he wasn't anything. Why should he? They didn't know one another. Before the Quidditch Cup, she was just another student. One third of the Golden Trio. She was a Gryffindor and he was a Hufflepuff. Houses rarely had reason to commingle together. Why should Cedric have meant anything to her?

Whispers seemed to follow both Cedric and Hermione for days. No one could understand it. Why would Cedric Diggory have to seek for something that was taken only for that something to be Hermione Granger? It didn't make sense to anyone. Cedric had made his opinion clear on the matter. Anyone who wanted to bother him about it would kindly be told to piss off. Hermione had another way for dealing with all of the hushed whispers and pointing. She practically lived in the library, studying and avoiding everyone, except Ron and Harry, though they had a tendency to bombard her with questions of their own. No one understood it at all. Of everyone, why would Cedric have had to rescue Hermione? If Viktor Krum had been the one to rescue her, that would have made a bit more sense considering they went to the Yule Ball together but for Cedric to be the one that had to rescue her, it was baffling. All of the students at the school were fairly certain that Cedric and Hermione had never even spoken before. Cedric was one of the most handsomest popular boys in school. Hermione on the other hand surrounded herself with a tight close-knit group of friends and rarely, if ever, ventured outside of that circle.

Cedric wanted to talk to her. He wanted to go to the library and just see her. As she avoided everyone, he was clearly included. He hadn't seen her since the second task. The need to see her though was so intense, oftentimes, so blinding, he could hardly stand it. And yet, he had to gather the courage to see her. He smirked at the irony. He had no problems facing dragons or diving into a lake to face off against merpeople but when it came to Hermione Granger, it took him nearly a week to prepare himself to see her. Just to see her. He wasn't even counting on talking to her. He was certain that he would need at least another week to feel brave enough to talk to her. He just had to see her and make sure that she was alright. He knew she was. For some reason, he had the feeling that if she wasn't, he would know, but he had to see her with his own eyes.

He was on his way to the library but the hallways were crowded with students walking to and from classes and it seemed that it was taking him longer than usual. He took a deep breath, looking over the heads of a group of first-years walking in front of him. Hermione was close. He could feel her. He stopped and turned in a circle, looking carefully around. But he didn't see her. He could feel her though. Sense her. Practically smell her. She was getting closer. Trying not to rudely push students aside, Cedric rushed as fast as he could in the direction the sensation was coming the most strong from. And as he turned the corner, he almost collided with her. She gasped in surprise and his arms instinctively reached out and grabbed her waist, keeping her from stumbling back. Being the star seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team gave him reflexes envied by most.

Hermione gripped his shoulders as she felt her weight shift at the shock of his body plowing into hers but when she looked into his stormy grey eyes, her hands instantly dropped from him as if touching him had burned her and Cedric's hands slowly followed suit, dropping to his sides. He expected her to walk around him and continue on her way but she didn't and he couldn't help but smile at that.

Something was keeping her there. Perhaps it was the same thing that had him seeking her out.

Her hand rested on the stone pillar at the corner of the hallway, she on one side, Cedric leaning into it with his shoulder, his head dipped slightly so he could look into her eyes. Their foreheads were almost touching and standing as close as they were, they did look rather intimate. Neither saw the students looking and staring openly at them or whispering in excited hurried voices.

"Meet me tonight," Cedric whispered, wanting this to be just for her ears. "Hermione…" He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, her eyes slowly lifting to meet his. "We have to talk about something."

Hermione nodded her head. She was so quiet around him and she didn't know why. She wasn't exactly the quiet type. She had no trouble yammering away to Ron or Harry or speaking up in class. And yet, around Cedric, she became practically a mute. She knew they had things to talk about. Something was happening. Something that she had actually spent so much time in the library trying to research. But it was hard to research something when she had no idea as to what was going on. She didn't even know where to start looking for she had no idea what was happening and why it was happening between herself and Cedric Diggory of all people.

"Where?" She asked softly.

Cedric smiled. "I have prefect rounds tonight so I'll come and meet you at the Gryffindor Tower entrance at nine. We'll go to the Whomping Willow." Hermione nodded her head then blushed faintly when he lifted a hand to her cheek, his fingers brushing across her skin for a moment. "Tonight," he repeated with a wider smile before one last lingering touch to her face and then he turned and was gone, leaving Hermione behind and grateful that she had the pillar there for support. Her knees suddenly felt quite weak and if one touch from him made her want to collapse, she feared to think what spending more time with him would do to her.


	3. Tonight is When it Will All Change

_A/N: I am flattered by the reviews I have been getting for this story and thank you for everyone's kind words and suggestions. Several have reminded me of Hermione's age being 15 and not 14 and actually, one reviewer hit it right on the head. This is mostly from Cedric's POV so he wouldn't know how old she was and would just be assuming. But I was going to get into that later so just be patient. I hope to explain all things in this very AU world I am in the midst of creating. Thank you to _GoGothGirl, Rhymes with Shady, Molly, lyn18, doornumberthree, Right or Ryn, The Puce Olive, san01, elenamindollin, ginsensu, slightlybizzare10, -jellyacy-, Luuuda, Kelly, Ker-smexy, JainaSolo18, Chelsiemarie, choksantos and darkphoenix52

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Chapter Three – Tonight is When it Will All Change 

Cedric felt completely ridiculous. Here he was, standing outside the Fat Lady's portrait, as nervous as a kid awaiting his first train ride to school. He was Cedric Diggory. There was no need to be nervous. He knew how to act around girls. He could go through all of the motions in his sleep. They were all the same. Give them compliments, stare into their eyes, hold their hand, make them feel special. Cho ate all of that up when he did it for her so honestly, Cedric had no reason to be nervous. It was five until nine and Cedric had paced the length of the hall countless times already, taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the knot in his stomach. This wasn't Cho or some other girl though. This was Hermione. For some reason, Cedric already knew that he couldn't act around her like he would any other girl. Hermione was different, better. He knew this. For some reason, he already knew this.

He took a deep breath then rested on the wall next to the portrait, waiting rather impatiently. He wanted to see her. Desperately. Since he saw her in the hallway earlier, she had been the only thing on his mind – not that that really surprised him. She had been the only thing he seemed to be able to think about for some time now. He rested the back of his head on the wall he was leaning against and closed his eyes. He wished he knew what was happening to him. He had never felt anything like this before, anything this intense before. Just thinking about Hermione made Cedric's entire being experience an ache he hadn't thought possible when thinking of a girl. He wanted to be around her all of the time. His fingers itched to touch her and his lips burned to taste her. He wasn't sure how or why but he was becoming completely consumed in his thoughts and want for her.

He was having dreams about her every night as well. At first, after the World Cup, it had only happened once, sometimes twice a week. But after the Yule Ball, and then the second task, the dreams seemed to become a nightly occurrence. And these weren't normal dreams – or maybe they were for a boy his age to be having. Dreams of Hermione's body, naked and lying next to him in his bed. Her skin was so soft, it felt like silk as he ran his fingertips over it, memorizing every freckle, mole and scar on her body. In his dreams, he knew just where to kiss her, where on her body that made her moan and say his name in a breathless whisper. In those dreams, she was no longer shy around him. She ran her fingers through his hair, pressed her body against his, kissed him with just as much want and hunger, matching his desire touch for touch. Cedric was finding it harder and harder to wake up from those dreams when morning came.

"Mr. Diggory?"

Cedric opened his eyes and instantly pushed himself off the wall, standing up straight. Professor McGonagall stood in front of him, staring at him, her pointed hat slightly askew on her head. He swallowed, glancing over at the portrait, seeing if Hermione was there. For some reason, standing outside of the Gryffindor tower, waiting for its smartest witch, and with the head of that house staring at him as if he was committing some horrible offense, Cedric felt nervous. He felt as if he was doing something wrong. He shifted slightly on his feet.

"Good evening, professor," he said politely with a short nod of his head.

Her lips formed a thin straight line as she looked him over carefully. "Have you completed your prefect duties for the evening, Mr. Diggory?"

"Yes ma'm," Cedric answered with another nod of his head. "I'm just waiting for…"

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open slowly and Hermione stepped out. Cedric's words trailed off as he looked at her and when their eyes met, she stilled as well. For a moment, neither seemed to remember that Professor McGonagall was there as well, watching each of them closely. Cedric smiled, taking a step towards Hermione and the faintest of smiles crossed her lips as she stared at him. He had the most powerful urge to reach out to her, to hold her, to find out whether or not she smelled as good as she did in his dreams. When he dreamt of her, she smelled like vanilla.

They moved to one another as if they were magnetically drawn to one another. The distance between them closed and they stood so close together that Hermione had to tilt her head back in order to look into his eyes. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a few wavy tendrils falling loose and Cedric tucked those behind her ears, his hands moving down, brushing against either side of her neck. She shivered slightly but her eyes never left his. She lifted her hands and covered his with hers and both stared at one another in shock when they felt a bolt of electricity passing through their bodies.

Hermione dropped his hands and took a fearful step away from him, her mouth hanging open slightly, not able to believe what she had just felt. It was as if a current had been coursing through her veins, making her heart beat faster and her body tingle. Looking at Cedric, she could see that he was experiencing the same thing. Her body was still humming and covered in goose bumps. They continued staring at one another, neither knowing what was happening to them. All they knew was that this was not a normal occurrence for either of them to be feeling when around the other.

Professor McGonagall, having seen the whole thing, cleared her throat, making both students finally break their eye contact and look at her. She was staring at them, her eyes slightly widened but other than that, her face was completely void of any type of expression. Hermione blushed that her professor had just witnessed that display and cast her eyes downward, finding a spot on the floor suddenly quite interesting. But she looked up again when the professor spoke. "You two cannot be alone together," she said sternly.

"Hermione and I were just going to go for a walk… to talk about some things that we're concerned about, professor" Cedric said, his eyebrows furrowed slightly with confusion. It wasn't past curfew. If he and Hermione wanted to go for a walk, they should be able to. They were a couple of first-years anymore. And though he understood a professor's concern about a boy and a girl walking around the castle since that could lead to certain things, the way Professor McGonagall had spoken, that was exactly what he expected to happen between Cedric and Hermione.

"It wouldn't take long, professor. Cedric and I were just going to walk around the grounds," Hermione spoke up, adding to Cedric's reasoning. Hermione rarely spoke against a professor's orders, especially McGonagall's, but in that moment, she cared more about going on a walk with Cedric than pleasing her professors. Hermione nearly gasped at that. Since when did Hermione care about anything other than pleasing her teachers and doing well in school? Since when did walking with a boy take precedence over everything else? This was not her. She had not just said that. She was Hermione Granger. School and succeeding at it was who she was. An accomplished student such as herself did not have time for boys and having secret meetings with them. And yet, right then, she wanted nothing more than to take Cedric's hand and tug him away from there so they could be alone. The desire she had to be alone with Cedric was so overwhelming, she felt as if she was about to jump from her skin, she was so anxious.

"No, Ms. Granger. You and Mr. Diggory are not to be alone together at any time. Professor Dumbledore has already informed all the staff of his decision," McGonagall said, moving herself so she stood in between Cedric and Hermione, keeping them thusly separated. Even with another person between them though, Cedric was able to feel the confusion rolling off of Hermione in waves for he felt the same.

"Why is it any of Professor Dumbledore's concern whether Cedric and I spend time together or not?" Hermione questioned, staring right into Cedric's gray eyes.

This didn't make any sense. It wasn't right. Hermione _needed_ to be around Cedric. This went far beyond want or desire. She needed to be around him for whenever she was not, she felt cold and as empty as a hollow cave. When they weren't near, she was constantly thinking of him and at night, she dreamt of him. At first, the dreams hadn't made much sense. They had seemed to be nothing more than flashes – of his smile, her fingers through his hair, his lips on her naked thigh. But then they became far more vivid. She was able to feel his weight on top of her, pressing her onto the bed. His skin gliding against hers, her fingers running over his body, hard with muscles. Sometimes, she was on top of him, her body rocking against his as his hands ran everywhere on her body that he could reach. His fingers would wrap around locks of her wavy curls, pulling her down, his lips seeking hers out. The dreams were so vivid and detailed, they felt as if they were real. Each morning, it was getting more and more difficult for her to wake up.

"He came to this decision after the second task," McGonagall explained curtly and both Hermione and Cedric could see that she was getting agitated but she almost seemed to be nervous about something. "Now, Ms. Granger, return to your room and the same for you, Mr. Diggory. I must go speak to Professor Dumbledore about this."

"But Professor," Cedric began to say but McGonagall cut him off, pointing her finger down the hallway away from Gryffindor Tower. He sighed then looked at Hermione. Their eyes remained locked together for an eternal moment and silently, both nodded their heads. Drastic times called for drastic measures. They weren't going to be kept apart like this. Things were so confusing and neither Cedric nor Hermione had any idea as to what was happening. But clearly, Dumbledore did if he was giving the staff orders in regards to the two of them. It only fed their curiosity. They had to find out what was happening to them.

The clock struck midnight as Hermione raced down the outdoor cobble steps that led to the Whomping Willow. It was a cold night, her breath appearing in front of her in short sharp bursts of cloud, the frigid air cutting at her lungs, but she continued running. She could feel him. He was already there, waiting for her. She had to hurry. They didn't know how much time they had. Cedric stood there, a safe distance away from the swaying tree branches, his hands stuffed deep within his coat pockets but the instant he saw her, he pulled them out. When she was within distance, he grabbed her and pulled her close, hugging her tightly to his body. Hermione slipped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly in return. Neither spoke. Neither moved. Hermione shivered and he squeezed his arms around her.

Hermione tilted her head up to look at him and Cedric looked down at her. They felt that pull between them, that invisible force that didn't have a name and which could not be explained. Whatever it was though, it was powerful. Too powerful to fight or resist it. She moved first, pushing herself up on her toes, her arms moving around his neck, tugging him down closer to her height. Cedric met her halfway, his lips colliding with hers, drawing her as close to him as possible. The instant their lips touched, it was as if someone had charmed a heat bubble around them. They no longer felt the cold wind howling around them. They kissed over and over, their lips caressing together in perfect movements. It was as if they had been kissing one another for their entire lives and this was just one of a million kisses instead of their first one shared.

Cedric lifted his hands to her head, cupping her face, kissing her a bit harder. Hermione moaned, pressing more into his body, the electricity flowing through every nerve in her body. They still did not speak. There was so much to talk about but at the moment, all they could do was kiss one another. Cedric felt that he would lose his mind if they pried their lips apart. He needed to keep kissing her. Nothing was more important to him. Not school, not the tournament or the next task, not his family or friends. The only thing in his life that he remotely cared about was Hermione and her lips moving against his.

Dumbledore wanted to keep them apart. Both Hermione and Cedric both knew now as their mouths opened and their tongues met in a tangle that being apart was impossible. There was something that could not be ignored. They refused to be apart. They refused to end whatever this was that was between them. It was too strong. Too strong to sever. Both had the feeling that if this connection between them was to be cut, neither would be able to go on. Cedric already felt as if he died each hour he spent away from her. He could only imagine how it would be if Dumbledore did get his way and kept Cedric and Hermione apart. Neither would be able to survive.

"We have to find out what this is," Hermione whispered breathlessly as Cedric moved his lips down to her neck, kissing the delicate flesh on the side of her throat. "Promise me, Cedric, that we will start to research. We _have_ to research. We have to know what this is," she said, moaning softly as his lips nipped at her skin. He nodded his head, unable to answer as he continue kissing her and inhaling her scent. She was right, of course. Being Hermione, she was always right. They would start to research even though neither had the faintest idea of where to even begin.


	4. Choosing Sides in a No Win Situation

_A/N: Thank you for all of the kind and encouraging reviews. They mean the world to me and I am so happy to see that there are so many out there that seem to be enjoying this little story of mine. Please keep in mind that this story is an AU world so this is how the magical world is in my head. This chapter answers many questions but also remember that Cedric and Hermione still have no idea what is happening. Please read and review and always, thank you. _

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Chapter Four – How to Choose Sides in a No-Win Situation

"Minerva, calm down," Albus Dumbledore said wearily later that night, slouched slightly in his chair. The old wizard was tired but not from lack of sleep. His mind had been running a mile a minute since the second task and yet, he still was not certain of what to make of it all. It worried him, the looks on both Ms. Granger's and Mr. Diggory's faces as they looked at one another after they were both pulled from the water. He had not seen two people look at one another with the same look for many years now and Albus had been certain that he would never see it again. But it was happening again and between two of his students. "I have already expressed orders to keep them separated."

"You know that will not do anything, Albus!" Minerva couldn't help but screech. "If anything, it will only make it worse. Those two cannot be separated no matter how hard we try to enforce it! They will find a way!"

Pomona Sprout, head of the Hufflepuff House, was also present in Dumbledore's office though for most of the emergency meeting, she had sat silently, simply listening. It was only after Minerva had said those words did Pomona decide to join the conversation. "What exactly will happen if do not keep Cedric and Hermione from one another?"

"It will be a no-win situation," Minerva said, wringing her hands together now. "No matter what we do, keeping them apart or letting them be together, it will be dangerous for both of the children."

"Pomona, I am certain that you have heard of soul mates?" Albus began, turning in his chair to look at the school's herbology teacher.

"Of course."

"Well, I have come to believe that Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger are something more to one another. Something much deeper."

Pomona gasped. She had heard of it before but there were only two known, acknowledged, cases of it in the wizarding world and both parties involved in both of those cases did not meet pleasant ends. She didn't know too much about it further. When she, herself, had been a student at Hogwarts, she and her girlfriends, when they first learned of it, giggled and imagined what it would be like to be one half of such a magical occurrence, but their professor had assured them that it was anything but pleasant and romantic. "You mean…"

Albus nodded his head. "I'm afraid so," he said softly, gravely. "I believe that Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger are Bounded."

The office between the three professors fell absolutely silent. The portraits on the walls snored softly as they slept, the collection of clocks in the room ticked, counting the minutes by as they passed. None of the three were certain how much time had passed between they spoke again. The word hung in the air above their heads and even though he had been the first one to suspect it, Albus was still having his own difficulties truly believing it. It was such old magic, so powerful and completely unbreakable to those under its influence. What made it so frightening was that it was still a complete mystery to all of those in the wizarding world. No one was certain of how it came to be or how it chose those who fell under its influence.

Pomona spoke once she found her voice again. "How can you be certain, Albus? Certainly, it must be something else. It _must_ be."

Albus shook his head, almost reluctantly. "I have exhausted myself looking for another possibility but Minerva has come and given me further proof of Cedric and Hermione's activities this evening."

"They moved to one another as if they were drawn together," Minerva said, sitting down in the chair next to Pomona's, now extremely worn out. "The looks… they had such intensity, it even gave me shivers."

"For the second task, the names of those who were to be taken for the champions to rescue also came from the goblet," Albus continued. "If that wasn't the case, and we the professors were to choose, I, myself, never would have chosen Ms. Granger for Mr. Diggory. And why should we? They are in different houses, different years. I do not think they have ever even spoken to one another before. I never would have chosen her as the something valuable for Cedric to take back." He paused. "But the goblet seemed to know otherwise."

"I still cannot believe that… that two of our very own students are bounded!" Pomona sputtered with a shake of her head. "Whatever will we do?"

"I have suggested that we separate them…"

"But we cannot!" Minerva exclaimed, interrupting Albus, standing up once more.

"I am afraid that my knowledge of bounded souls is rather limited," Pomona admitted.

"At the moment, Cedric and Hermione have no idea what is happening to them," Albus began to explain. "They are mysteriously drawn to one another. Their desire is growing. They feel as if being together is not a want but rather a need. They are probably experiencing an ache they had never known before whenever they are apart. If we continue to separate them…"

"If we continue to separate them, their feelings will nonetheless take over and they will find a way to be together. Or…" Minerva trailed off, reluctant to speak further.

"Or?" Pomona repeated, looking back and forth between Albus and Minerva.

"If we are successful in separating them, the ache the two will suffer through will eventually bring about their demises," Albus said lowly and Pomona gasped. He nodded his head. "But, if we allow them the opportunity to be together… Bounding is a very… sexual spell. It is built on love and lust and sexual activity. That is what gives it power. If Cedric and Hermione have the opportunity to consummate their love, which they will without a doubt if given the chance to, the spell will reach its height of power and from that point on, they will share in everything. Their hearts, their souls, their minds. They will be able to read one another's thoughts. Their hearts will actually begin to beat at the same pulse. When one falls ill, the other will as well. If one dies… the other one will follow. There is no stopping it."

Once again, the office fell silent and this time, the silence seemed to stretch out forever.

"Why did this happen all of a sudden?" Pomona spoke, almost reluctantly, fearful to hear the answer. Her head was pounding with a growing headache and her heart was drumming quickly in her chest. When Albus summoned her to his office that evening, this was not at all what she was expecting the impromptu staff meeting to entail. "Why did we not know of this when Hermione was a first year and she and Cedric were in the same vicinity for the first time?"

"I believe that it has happened now because both have reached the maturity in which Bounding requires," Albus said but the way in which he finished the sentence, both Minerva and Pomona knew he had more to say. "There are only two known cases of Bounding and in both of those, it was believed that not only were they bound in this life, but in others as well."

"Which I find to be completely preposterous," Minerva stated firmly. "I do not believe in reincarnation, which is what you are speaking of Albus."

"I am just simply informing both of you of what Bounding has been speculated to do," Albus said. "It is said that Bounding is so powerful, and so mysterious, that nearly anything is likely. It is quite possible that Cedric and Hermione have shared past lives together and when this one ends… they will find one another again in the next."

Pomona stood up slowly, her eyes never leaving the Headmaster's face. "We must do something. What will we do?"

* * *

Hermione laughed softly as Cedric buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent deeply, his hot breath tickling her skin. The couple laid on the grass by the Whomping Willow, having been outside for nearly two hours despite the cold temperature. The warming bubble that had seemed to appear the first time they kissed still remained around them. Neither had the slightest desire to return to the castle for they knew that the instant they stepped through the doors, they would have to go in their separate directions and neither could bare just the mere thought of that.

Cedric lifted his head, his face above hers, and he smiled, looking down at her. Hermione laid on her back with Cedric next to her on his side, his arm draped across her stomach while the other was bent at the elbow, propping his head up in his hand. She returned the smile, lifting a hand up to brush across his cheek before running her fingers through his hair. He turned his head and kissed the inside of her wrist.

"What is that?" He asked, noticing what seemed to be a scar on the inside of her right wrist. He took her arm and traced it with his thumb. It was white, never tanning with the rest of her skin, and was large, almost three inches in length. It was shaped resembling something close to half of a heart.

Hermione shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure. It's just something I've always had – for as long as I can remember. I forget it's there most of the time." Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Cedric brush his lips over the scar before tracing it with his tongue. She felt a bout of shivers go down her spine and she lifted her other hand to his hair again as he continued lavishing affection upon her scar. "Cedric, kiss me," she said softly, breathlessly.

Without speaking or hesitating, Cedric moved his lips from the inside of her wrist and moved his head forward, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. The kiss instantly grew frenzied, their lips sliding together, their tongues meeting and dueling together. He moved his body over hers, pressing his weight completely on top of her and Hermione naturally wrapped one of her legs around him, their most intimate parts now aligned perfectly. She felt as if a fog surrounded her brain and it was a fog that always appeared whenever Cedric kissed her. She felt as if she couldn't breathe when he had his lips to hers but she would die if he ever stopped kissing her. She wanted more. So did he. She could feel the desire he had for her rolling off of him in waves and it excited her and frightened her simultaneously.

"I have to show you something," he said, reluctantly tearing his lips away from hers. Hermione looked up at him curiously as he sat up, his knees on either side of her body, his body straddling hers. He pushed the left sleeve of his coat up then held up the inside of his left wrist for her to see. She gasped upon seeing it. It was an identical scar to hers, though backwards. The exact shape, the exact size. She sat up and Cedric situated himself so he sat next to her. "Give me your wrist," he said and Hermione obeyed, dutifully handing him her right wrist, watching as he took it gently, guiding their arms together. She gasped again when he turned both of their arms over and pressing their arms together, their palms and wrists facing upwards, she saw it. Both of them saw it.

When held next to one another, when pressed together, each half of the scar put together formed the unmistakable shape of a heart. Cedric and Hermione stared at it before lifting their eyes and staring at one another, in wonderment, confusion, excitement. It was as if they had found a puzzle piece they didn't even know they had been looking for.

Together, their scars formed a heart. They looked down at their scars again and both fell completely motionless as a red spark suddenly flashed from the scar, starting at the bottom meeting point of the heart before tracing the shape, the red spark illuminating their faces as they watched in shock as the spark moved over their skin, following the path of the scar. It didn't hurt either of them but it was not every day when scars on two different bodies fit together perfectly and then caused red sparks to shoot out from them. When the spark reached the bottom meeting point of the heart once again after tracing the entire shape, it faded out but the red trail it had formed remained.

Cedric slowly, hesitantly, with his right thumb swiped at the scar but the red trail remained. It did not hurt. It did not burn like it should have. But it did not disappear either. His thumb traced the heart scar, Hermione watching him, now growing fearful more than anything. Feeling her sudden trepidation, Cedric lifted his hand and put it on her cheek, turning her head towards him. He kissed her lightly, gently on the lips and Hermione closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against his, their noses brushing together.

"Don't worry, 'Mione," Cedric whispered, his own heart hammering in his chest from what they had just witnessed, but he was going to remain strong and brave for her. His thumb swiped at the apple of her cheek. "I promise. We _will_ go to the library and find out what this is. I promise you." Hermione nodded her head and he kissed her again, their arms remaining pressed together, the red colored outline of their heart scar growing in brightness as their kissing, as always, grew more passionate. Neither noticed though.


	5. Dreams Knowing Before We Do

_A/N: I am so sorry for disappearing like I did for that amount of time. I have not forgotten about this story and here is the long-awaited fifth chapter. Please read and review it for me. Let me know what you think. This chapter may not seem much of anything but actually, it is foreshadowing a lot of what is to come later on. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed for me. Please keep doing so!_

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Chapter Five – Dreams Knowing Before We Do

Cedric woke with a start, flying into a sitting position, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat, his yellow bed sheets twisted around his ankles like latches, and his heart pounding in his chest at such an alarming rate, he was certain that it was trying to leap from his chest. He gasped for breath, his eyes searching frantically around before he realized that he was in his bed in his prefect room. He flopped back down onto his back with a groan, clenching his eyes shut, putting his hands on his face, attempting to calm himself down.

It had been a dream. Just a dream. A nightmare actually but it wasn't real. That was the main point that Cedric had to remember. It wasn't real. Nothing that he had just seen had been real. Hermione hadn't drowned. She hadn't. It was just a nightmare. He told himself this over and over again in hopes that his mind and heart would calm down.

It had been horrible though. And so real. He had been searching for her in the lake but he couldn't find her. He couldn't find her anywhere and time had run out. In his dream, he knew she had drowned because he could feel his own heart slowing down and he began coughing up water. Whatever Hermione went through, Cedric went through it as well. And when she died, he died with her.

But it hadn't actually happened. Cedric was alive and well and he could feel that Hermione was as well. As if he further needed proof, he pushed the long sleeve of the shirt he had slept in, revealing his half-heart shaped scar. It was still glowing a light red.

He sighed. She was okay. It really had been just a nightmare. In the seven days that had passed since their rendezvous at the Whomping Willow, the glow of the scar remained. When Cedric and Hermione were together, it shone a brilliant red but even when they were apart, it only faded slightly. Hermione had practically been living in the library, desperately trying to figure out what was happening with them and though Cedric had promised that he would help her, he had been too busy with the next task, prefect duties and Quidditch games to sit in the library for hours on end like her. Besides, he wasn't eager to find out what this was between them. He didn't want to find an end to it and he was worried that that was all they would find once they knew what was happening.

He didn't know why Hermione was so eager either to read something about their "condition", which she began calling it. He hated it when she called it that. When they were together and alone, she was so passionate, feeling just as consumed with him as he was on her. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout were still trying to keep them apart and apparently, they had informed the staff with the same instructions. Cedric and Hermione were able to steal moments together that were gone too quickly and when their too short time had passed, Hermione changed into a girl obsessed with explanation and answers.

His breathing and heartbeat slowly returned to normal but a deep hollow ache tightened in Cedric's stomach. This was an ache he unfortunately was accustomed to now though. This ache was with him whenever he wasn't with Hermione. It never went away – not until he was with her again. It was an ache he had never known. This wasn't a run of the mill stomachache. This was as if something had reached inside of himself, taken a strand of his stomach and was now pulling on it slowly, stretching it out inch by painful inch. When he had talked to Hermione about it, she had admitted to suffering through the same ache. Yet another mystery that they now needed to find an explanation to.

Dreaming every night was also now a common occurrence. Normally, the dreams were far more pleasurable. They were the sort of dreams that Cedric had even when he was awake. Much like at the World Quidditch Cup during the summer, when he and Hermione had touched for the first time and he received flashes of images that felt all so familiar to him, whenever Cedric and Hermione kissed or touched, he got flashes of scenes that felt almost like déjà vu. Flashes of skin, of fingers running over bodies, of smiles, of hair spread out on sheets – none of the images showed much or revealed much but it all felt so familiar and he knew that the flashes were of him and Hermione together.

His dreams at night were usually like that. He knew that the patches of skin belonged to her and he knew that the lips and fingers were his. He knew that in his dreams, they were making love – slow and almost desperate, as if they feared that if they ever stopped, they would fall apart. Those were his favorite kinds of dreams. They felt so real that sometimes, he would wake up, hard and pained, having to convince himself that the dreams hadn't actually happened.

But then there were dreams like the one he had just had the night before. It wasn't the first time he had dreamt of Hermione dying. And though he wished it was, he knew that it wasn't going to be the last. He didn't know what any of these dreams meant. He didn't know the first thing about what was happening to the two of them but what he did know was that he was already beginning to have trouble remembering his life before it all started with her.

Cedric dressed and got himself ready for the day quickly. His body was humming with anticipation of seeing her. He could feel her presence grow in strength as he made his way towards the Great Hall. He barely acknowledged those who passed him, saying good morning, and he certainly didn't even glance at the girls throwing enticing smiles in his direction. It was hidden by his sleeve but he knew his left arm was glowing red and it was only growing stronger as he grew closer to her. He could smell her – that exotic smell that he still couldn't place but only know that it was her scent – a scent that belonged entirely to her. He felt like a hunting dog whenever he sniffed her out like he was now.

It was Saturday and the Great Hall was not as crowded as it would have been on a school morning. Only a few students sat at each of the four long tables and only one or two professors were present. Most students were still asleep or had already eaten and were now out and about, spending their morning as they pleased.

Cedric quickly looked at the professors there, sighing deeply with relief upon seeing that none of them were professors that seemed set on keeping them apart. His eyes instantly went to her and he smiled, his heartbeat racing again though this time, it had nothing to do with a bad dream. She sensed his presence immediately upon him entering the hall and she lifted her head from the book she was reading to turn and look at him. Both smiled.

It was a magnetic pull towards her – one that was so strong, it would be impossible to get away from it though that was the last thing he ever wanted to do. His eyes remained locked with hers as he went to her. He sat down next to her on the bench, straddling it, facing her. Hermione smiled at him and without even glancing around to see what students were there, she slid her hands onto his cheeks and pressed her lips to his in a morning greeting.

She normally wasn't bold in public like this and Cedric wanted to take complete advantage of it. He scooted closer to her on the bench and one of his hands slid onto her hip, the other resting on her thigh, as his mouth moved in perfect harmony with hers. Their lips tingled, their tongues tangled, and both drank one another completely in. He wasn't sure what had gotten into her that morning to be kissing him like this in the Great Hall in front of other Hogwarts students. But as he kissed her, he saw it. He knew why.

Flashes of Hermione's own dream from the night before played in Cedric's mind like a slideshow. Images of himself and Hermione together, in her bed, buried and tangled in sheets of Gryffindor colors, his body moving up hers, Hermione moving with him, her back arching off the mattress as he sped up. The bed shaking with his thrusts, with their intimate dance. Hermione's knuckles turned white from gripping the headboard tightly. Drops of sweat rolled down his back as he sped up, driving in and out of her sweet accepting body.

As they continued to kiss, Cedric continued to see Hermione's dream and he could feel every bit of it. He could feel her body underneath his. He could feel her wet tight heat surrounding him. He could feel it all and it made him kiss her harder and deeper. She moaned softly into his mouth, her cheeks sliding from his cheeks and her fingers plowing through his already slightly messy hair. Her dream the night before had been much better than his and he now understood why she seemed so eager to see him.

Their mouths separated though just by a few mere inches. They were both panting heavily, breathing in the same hot air and they slowly opened their eyes, instantly locking together. She smiled, almost shyly, at him and he grinned.

"Good morning to you, too," he said with that sometimes cocky smile of his and Hermione blushed and chewed on her lower lip, smiling. He laughed slightly, pecking her on the lips, his finger inching between the sliver of skin exposed on the small of her back between the blue jeans and white turtleneck sweater she was wearing. "At least your dream was a bit more pleasant than mine."

Hermione's smile faded and she rubbed a hand on the back of his neck.

Like Cedric had seen her dream, she had seen his. And this wasn't the first time that she had seen herself die through Cedric's eyes. It was a common dream for him. She dreamt about them making love and though he too dreamt of that, he dreamt more of her death. She always drowned. In the Black Lake, she was trapped amongst the weeds and he couldn't find her. She didn't believe in dreams meaning something or foretelling but there was a cold dread behind Cedric's dreams that made her almost think otherwise.

It was a terrifying dream. She had woken up that morning, lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling smiling from her thoughts of Cedric, but in an instant, she turned freezing cold and she knew that Cedric had awoken from yet another nightmare. He had been on the other side of Hogwarts in his room but she had known the second he was awake.

"I found something," Hermione informed him. "But we can't talk about it here."

Cedric nodded and stood up, offering his hand to her. She took it, him pulling her to her feet, and she grabbed the book she had been reading. They left the Great Hall, Cedric leading the way. Since neither of them had their coats, they headed in the direction of the library. It was still too early in the morning and the library was deserted. Nonetheless, he pulled her into a back corner, hidden by the tall stacks of books. He leaned against a bookcase, his hands clasped onto her hips, bringing her to stand in front of him, their hips pressed together.

Hermione smiled brightly at him, holding up the book. "Look at what I found in here last night," she said proudly. "It was being sorted right above my head and for some reason, it fell down right on the desk I was sitting at." He looked at her oddly. Irma Pince, the librarian, set those sorting spells for the books and in his years at Hogwarts, he had never seen a book just fall from one. Reading his thoughts, Hermione nodded her head. "I know it's odd but this is exactly what we were looking for."

Cedric looked at her for another moment before looking down at the front cover of the worn brown hardcover book she was displaying.

_The History of Love and Their Spells_

A stone settled in his stomach. This was it. Hermione had found it. He knew that she would. She had found all of their answers. And amongst the answers, there would be the ways to stop it all. He knew that it was only a matter of time. She was, after all, Hermione Granger, Hogwarts' smartest witch. She could find anything she looked for.

Her finger had been holding a place in the book and she turned it open to the chapter, holding it open for him to read again.

_Chapter Fourteen: To Be Bound To Another Individual_

"Bound?" Cedric repeated, lifting his eyes to look at her.

Hermione nodded her head. "Have you ever heard of it before?" She asked though she knew that he didn't. "I haven't either but I have been reading this chapter over and over again." She paused. "Cedric, this is it. This is what we are."

"Bound?" He said again, still not having the slightest idea of what it was.

"Bound. We're bound to one another."

As soon as the words left Hermione's mouth, red sparks began to shoot from their scars, making both of them jump in surprise. They tilted their heads back, watching as the sparks streamed upwards like fireworks and then began to intertwine together, forming a braided knot above their heads. The sparks shooting from their arms didn't hurt. It was hypnotizing to watch – to see these mysterious sparks firing from their scars and knotting together, binding together.

Cedric didn't know what to say so he said the one thing that popped into his head. "I think you might be onto something," he said softly as they both continued to watch the spark show above them.


	6. Bud of the Bud, Root of the Root

_A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing for me. Please continue to do so. I love to read everyone's reactions to this story. Please remember that this is a very alternate world I have created for the HP characters. I have taken things from the book and have written them to help with my story. I hope everyone is enjoying this so far._

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Chapter Six – Bud of the Bud, Root of the Root

_1528_

She stood at the window, looking out, watching as the drawbridge was lowered for the train of horses that had approached the castle. She chewed on her lip nervously, playing with the ends of her hair that Elizabeth had just braided for her. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest like a drum. She tried to see the riders, tried to figure out which was him but they were still too far away to see their faces clearly.

"My Lady, please come away from the window," Elizabeth, one of her ladies-in-waiting, urged her. "It isn't right for him to see you before the wedding ceremony."

Hermione ignored her and continued staring out the window. She thought it was ridiculous for her to keep herself hidden from him. He was going to be her husband in less than an hour. They were going to be married. What did it matter whether it be now or an hour from now? She didn't know which rider he was anyway.

The yellow flags of Diggory, the kingdom that laid to the north, flapped in the wind as the horse hooves neared the castle. In less than an hour, Hermione would be married to their prince and she would be riding back with them. Diggory would be her home, her kingdom. She would be queen one day while her husband would be king. It had been an arrangement since her birth. She had been promised to Cedric of Diggory for her entire life and today, the day of their wedding, would be the first time she would ever meet him.

It was perfectly understandable to be as nervous as she was.

"My Lady, please. It is not proper," Elizabeth said once more, taking hold of Hermione's hand and guiding her from the window.

Hermione reluctantly followed, tearing her eyes from the sight of her future husband's garrison. It was time for her to be dressed anyway. She had to look nothing less than perfect for her intended. Even though she had never met before, she still had the desire to impress him. She wondered how he thought of this entire arranged marriage business. She wondered if he would be pleased with how she had grown up.

It was her duty to be a good wife and someday queen to his people and mother to his children and heirs. Although she knew she had no choice in the matter, she hoped that Cedric was a kind man. There were plenty of men out there who beat their wives and took great pleasure from it. She could only pray that he was not that sort of man though it was already too late to change any of it.

When an hour had passed and Hermione was bathed and dressed in her freshly sewn white gown, those who were to be present at the ceremony had already gathered in the small chapel, awaiting the arrival of the bride.

Cedric, dressed in his best yellow tunic, hose, and cloak, stood at the altar with the priest, waiting almost impatiently for his bride to arrive. He was ready to get this wedding over and done with so he could be back on his way to Diggory. The only reason he was there was because of his obligation to be so. He didn't want to get married – especially to a complete stranger but as prince and future kind of his father's kingdom, it was his duty to produce a suitable heir for the throne and he had been intended for Hermione of Granger since she was born fifteen years earlier.

The people gathered in the chapel hushed and Cedric turned his head to find that she had finally arrived. And he promptly stopped breathing with his first look upon her. She wore a white gown and held a bouquet of yellow wild flowers in her hands in front of her. Canary yellow and black were the official colors of Diggory and he knew that the flowers she held was a gesture made entirely for him. She wore a veil but he could still see her face perfectly – the deep brown eyes, the flawless skin, the sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her thick long curly hair was pulled back in a complicated knot, showing off the graceful elegant slope of her neck.

Looking at her neck, Cedric felt as if he had touched and kissed it before even though he knew it to be impossible. This was the first time he had laid eyes upon her. Yet, he could not shake the feeling off as if he had seen her before.

Hermione walked down the aisle, not seeing anyone else present the moment she locked eyes with Cedric. She didn't notice her mother or father or Cedric's men in attendance. She only saw Cedric, the man who just a few words away from becoming her husband. He was so familiar to her. She had a feeling within her heart that this was not the first time that she had looked into his grey eyes. But it had to be. They had never seen one another before that moment.

As she neared the altar where he stood, he extended his hand out for her to take and she did so with a faint smile, her hand laying in his, his fingers encasing hers. A bright blinding white light flashed in front of Hermione's eyes as soon as they made contact and she felt as if she was falling backwards in a faint. She opened her mouth to scream but she found herself to not be afraid. The white faded into grey and she found herself staring into Cedric's eyes. Oh yes, she smiled at him as she felt herself continuing to fall backwards. She had most definitely stared into those eyes before.

* * *

Professor Minerva McGonagall took a step away from Dumbledore's pensieve before the entire memory could be played out for her, her eyes closed and her hand covering her mouth. She could watch it no longer.

She never would have believed it if she had not just looked into the silver basin to see the memories played out right in front of her. Albus had been right all along. Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger were bound together and had been so for centuries.

She turned her head slowly to look at the aging man, sitting down in his chair behind his desk. He did not move or speak. He simply stared at her as she tried to understand what she had just seen deep within his memories. Of course, they were not his own memories. He had not witnessed any of Cedric and Hermione's, what appeared to be, their previous lives.

The particular spell was such a powerful use of magic that Dumbledore was able to tap into it and channel it. The memories belonged to Cedric and Hermione – memories they were slowly becoming more aware of yet still couldn't control. Dumbledore had stored them in pensieve in hopes of learning more about their condition.

The Bound spell between Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger was the strongest he had ever seen or studied. It was a spell that spanned through centuries and after sorting through the hundreds of memories from each of their minds, Dumbledore had summoned both Minerva and Pomona Sprout so they could both see as well.

"What will we do?" Minerva gasped softly, growing more emotional as what she had just seen settled into her mind. She had just seen two people she knew to be as Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger hundreds of years in the past, bound together and in the midst of getting married. It frightened her. "We cannot keep them apart."

"I'm afraid," Albus sighed. "That no matter if we keep them apart, or let them be together, their story in this life will end as it always does."

A lone tear slowly rolled down Pomona's cheek as she stepped away from the silver basin, turning her back to what she had just seen. She had been a foolish young girl to think that being bound to someone could ever be considered romantic. What she had just witnessed, it was tragic, not romantic. Love ruled them in all ways of life. No matter what they did, their souls and hearts were forever intertwined together. And the memory she had just seen, no good came of living with such a condition.

What she had just seen… she wished she could erase it. She wished that what she had seen was nothing more than a dream rather than a memory of actual events. She could not believe that two of Hogwarts very own students had such a thing between them. She could not believe that two of their students were bound. She still could not believe it despite the memory she had just watched.

"There must be a way," Minerva whispered. "There must be a spell to break the bind. Surely, Albus, you know of something."

She knew she had at first considered it all to be a no-win situation. Every case of a Bound spell she knew of did not end well for the two involved. The Bound spell was one ruled entirely with love and love was the most powerful of all emotions. It had more power than even most wizards were aware of. It could drive a person to the greatest euphoria or the deepest of despairs. Love was capable of making a person do anything within its control. Love was actually something that was quite terrifying to experience because of the sheer unpredictability of it all.

But there had to be a way. Some time throughout history, there had to be one case of someone breaking a Bound spell, of severing the connection between the two hearts twined together. There were few things in the world that magic could not fix. It had to be able to fix this somehow.

"There has to be a way," Minerva repeated, trying to reassure herself more than anyone with her words. "We can't let them die, Albus. We cannot."

* * *

"Hermione, let me see!" Ron hissed from across the table they sat at in the library, pushing his book away in an effort to see the piece of parchment his best friend was hurriedly scrawling on.

She shook her head adamantly. "Honestly, Ronald. Why don't you and Harry try for once to complete your own assignments?"

"We've been in here since after supper," Ron retorted. "Obviously, we have been trying but now we need your help. So help us!" He added in a hushed exclamation.

Transfiguration, along with most others, was not particularly Ron's favorite, nor best, subject and every night, usually sought the help of Hermione to help him. Usually, she did so without much arm-twisting. He didn't even expect her anymore to allow him to simply copy from her parchments. He had learned that some time ago. When he got help from Hermione, she expected him to do his own work. And he begrudgingly did so. But in order for him to do his own work, he needed her to help.

"What are you writing, Hermione?" Harry asked from his seat next to Ron's.

He also leaned over in an attempt to see but Hermione was bent far too over the parchment to get a good look. Whatever she was writing, she was doing so at an impossibly fast pace. Ron and Harry watched as her hand flew over the paper, writing a series of words down so quickly, her hand almost seemed to be a blur of movement. Hermione lifted her head up to look at them but her hand continued to write as if she had no control over the limb whatsoever.

Ron and Harry stared at her before looking back down at her still writing hand. It stopped suddenly and the pen dropped from her hand. Hermione almost seemed afraid to look down at what she had just written and truly see it but her head willed itself to look down. Ron and Harry peered over as well and all three became truly confused with what they saw.

"What is that?" Ron asked.

"Is that…" Harry turned his head slightly to get a better look at the parchment. "Is that Latin?" He lifted his head to look at his friend. "I didn't know you know Latin."

Hermione's eyes welled with tears as she stared down at the foreign words she had just written as if she had been writing it for her entire life. She shook her head, her hair falling into her face. "I don't," she whispered. Her hands began to tremble as she pushed the parchment away from her and she stood up from the table, her eyes refusing to rip away from it. She couldn't stop looking down at it.

Seeing how much it was upsetting her, Ron reached out and slowly pulled the piece of parchment across the table towards him, folding it and stuffing it into one of his books. And yet, Hermione continued staring down at the table where the parchment had just been. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she finally looked at her two best friends.

They knew her better than anyone. Or… at least that used to be the truth.

"I have to go find Cedric," she whispered but when she began to gather her things, Harry shot his hand out and wrapped it around her wrist.

"Hermione, you can talk to us," he told her as if he was reminding her.

She looked at him and then at Ron. The three of them had been through so much together and she knew that their friendship would never be tarnished. But what was happening with her and Cedric, she couldn't tell them.

She would show them the book and have them read the chapter of the Bound spell and then they would know but she knew they wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand the steady ache she felt whenever she was away from Cedric or the sheer desperation she always felt to see him and be near him. They wouldn't understand the dreams or the ability to read almost every thought one another had. They wouldn't understand the scar or the red glow of her arm. She loved Harry and Ron dearly but she couldn't talk to them about any of this – no matter how much she wanted to confide in them.

So instead of talking to them, she leaned over the table and kissed both of their cheeks quickly before grabbing her bag and rushing from the library, wiping her tears away as she did so. Though she hadn't seen him since that morning when they had separated to go their own ways for classes, Hermione knew exactly where Cedric was. She could feel him. She picked up her pace and began running towards the Quidditch field. She had to see him. She hadn't touched him in almost five hours and the pain in her chest was almost unbearable. Perhaps he had some sort of idea as to why she had just written Latin fluently. She hoped he had an idea as to what it meant though he was just as lost with this all as she was.

* * *

_1529_

"I'm sorry, my Lord," the healer informed Cedric quietly in the hallway outside of his and Hermione's bedchamber. "She has lost too much blood. There is nothing further that I can do for her."

Cedric stared at the healer for a moment before turning his head to look at the closed doors. It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. They had been anticipating this day since Hermione had found out of her pregnancy. They had only been married for a year and already, she was leaving him. He could feel her slowly drifting away from him and no matter how hard his heart clung to her, she slipped further and further away.

He had dreamt this. Every night for the past two weeks, he had dreamt of her death. But he had been foolish enough to just write them off as foolish and horrible nightmares. Never for a second did he believe that Hermione would die and leave him. They had just found one another. How could she leave him?

Without a word to the healer, Cedric pushed open the door to the bedchamber and entered. A fire roared in the hearth and the room smelled of blood – his wife's blood. A nurse was there, covering their stillborn baby with a cloth but upon seeing Cedric, she curtsied quickly and left the room hurriedly.

He hardly noticed though as he slowly approached the bed. Hermione was lying there, the bed sheets once white were now a crimson red. Her night shift was pushed up around her hips, her legs still spread and exposed. She was covered in sweat and her lower half was covered in the blood that had left her. She turned her head on the pillow and upon seeing him, she began to cry. She could feel herself leaving. She could feel herself fading. The red glow from the scars on their arms was fading into nothingness. She reached a hand out towards him and he took it without hesitation.

Cedric crawled onto the bed, wrapped his arms around her, clinging to her, refusing her to go. He rested his head on her shoulder, burying it in the side of her neck, and Hermione weakly lifted her arms to wrap around him. She forced her eyes to remain open but that was a battle she was losing. Cedric moved his hand to her chest, resting it over her heart. Both could feel it slowing down, losing beats.

He lifted his head and fused his lips to hers, kissing her deeply, desperately. Surely, there was something he could do to stop this. But it was too late. Hermione was dying and Cedric could feel his heart begin to slow with hers. He refused to live without her. If she was to die then he would as well. He was not afraid of death. He was more afraid of how he would survive without her.

"I will find you again," Cedric whispered to her, his lips barely removing from hers to say so. "No matter where you go, I will find you again."

Hermione's eyes fluttered open one last time, looking into the pools of grey, before she took her last breath and he felt her soul leave her in a great whoosh of wind. She became limp and the red glow of her scar was extinguished. Tears rolled from Cedric's eyes as he held his wife, his beloved, rocking her, kissing her hair and face. He clung to her tightly, not letting her go – never letting her go. He began to feel his heart slow down even further and he knew that he would not be too far behind her.

Cedric tilted his head down and kissed Hermione's already cold lips. She had become cold so quickly. "Until we meet again…"

When the healer entered the room again five minutes later, both Cedric and Hermione of Diggory were dead, lying on the bed, Cedric's arms wrapped around his wife's body. When his body was examined, they found no cut or poison within his system. They found no explanation as to why the Prince had died so suddenly along with his bride.


	7. It Is You I Have Loved

Chapter Seven – It Is You I Have Loved

They were making love on the ground somewhere in the Forbidden Forest – or at least they thought that was where they were. They were surrounded by thick trees and foliage and from her back, looking up, she could see that the moon was full, providing more than enough light for them. She didn't know why they were there or how they had gotten there but that was not what was important at the moment. They were both naked but neither were cold and the ground she laid on did not hurt her back. Cedric was above her, careful so his weight didn't crush her, but she kept pulling him down on top of her, wanting to feel all of him. She could feel every inch of him as he slid in and out of her, filling her to the brink over and over again, driving her mad with pleasure. Their skin was sticky with sweat and his lips were on her neck, tasting the saltiness. Her moans seemed to grown louder with each thrust he made and her fingers clung to his back, desperate to hold onto something as she felt her body begin to fall.

"Cedric…" she moaned softly into his ear, biting down on her bottom lip.

She had never felt something like this before and she had no idea that feeling like this even existed for one to experience. It felt like she couldn't breathe but she knew that she would die if he stopped what he was doing to her. She never wanted this to end. This was her heaven. Being there with him, locked together in the most intimate of ways, she knew that this was a dance they had done together countless times before. Their bodies moved in perfect unison, each able to anticipate one another's moves even before the other made it. Cedric trailed a hand down the side of her body, her hand igniting fires on her already burning skin and he cupped one of her thighs, hitching it higher against his hip, diving deeper inside of her and she shuddered in pure delight.

"They will come looking for us," Cedric whispered, breathless, and lifted his head from the crook of her neck to look down at her. Neither made a move to stop though – no matter who was coming to find them.

He placed one hand to her cheek and stared down into her chocolate brown eyes, now bright with arousal and desire. She looked absolutely gorgeous and he leaned down to press his lips to hers in a kiss. His hips never faltered and continued with the same speed, moving in and out of her sweet accepting body. She was always ready for him, always wanting him. And his need and want for her never was extinguished and never satisfied. She was the love of his life – the only love his body and heart would ever know. He knew that what they had, it transcended all previous definitions of love though. What they had was something so much more than anything anyone else in the world had ever felt or experienced. This, right here, making love to Hermione, this was what every step in his life had led him to. This was why he was born and given life. He was alive so he could be with her.

Hermione lifted a hand to his forehead to wipe at a bead of sweat slowly trickling down the side of his temple and he smiled faintly at her, matching her own spreading across her lips. Giving her a thrust harder than the previous ones, his hips knocking against hers, her body jerked upwards, her breasts bouncing and a long moan breaking out from her throat. She arched her back off the ground, her fingers gripping his back tighter, her body squeezing even more around him and he gave her another equally hard thrust, earning the same reaction. He loved watching her when they were like this and he was the only one who had ever, and would ever, see her like this – sweaty and flushed and moaning as his body plowed into hers over and over again, claiming her as his own. He wished that they could do this forever.

Something happened suddenly though. Hermione began to cough. She was coughing as if something was lodged in her throat and she was trying to clear it. Cedric stopped his movements, hovering over her, watching her. She coughed and choked, her eyes watering as breathing became a luxury to her as she continued trying to clear up whatever was in her throat. Cedric didn't know what to do. He watched, feeling absolutely helpless and she tried to squirm away from him as if that would help. She put both of her hands to her throat, clawing at it, desperate to breathe again but Cedric watched in horror as her face slowly began turning blue.

And then the water came. Cedric watched as she started coughing up water but it was no use. She kept choking and the water began filling her lungs. She was drowning. She was dying. And Cedric watched, completely powerless to stop it. He couldn't save her. He could never save her. And he watched as she slowly died.

"_Hermione!" _

Cedric woke with a start, gasping for air and coughing as if he had been the one that had just been drowning in that horrible nightmare of his. He quickly looked around, trying to get his bearings and he sighed almost in relief upon seeing that he hadn't woken up in the forest. Instead, he was on the ground underneath the stands at the Quidditch field and Hermione was lying asleep next to him. She had come to him at the end of practice earlier that evening and she had been so distraught as she showed him the parchment she had written completely in Latin. Neither knew what to make of it but Cedric had done his best to try and console her. Both knew that they would get in trouble if they were caught but neither had wanted to return to the castle. They needed to be with one another and they needed to be completely alone.

A light wind was blowing and he could hear crickets chirp in the grass nearby. He didn't have any kind of idea of what time it was but judging by the darkness, he knew it was late. Hermione laid next to him, her back to him, and Cedric looked down at her as she slept. He instantly scooted as close to her as he possibly could, lying down again, wrapping his arms around her, pressing their bodies together. She was breathing. He could feel it with each inhale and exhale of breath she took and he seemed to finally breathe himself since he woke up. He was too afraid to close his eyes – afraid that if he did so, she would stop breathing right there in his arms. He squeezed them a bit more tightly around her, not prepared to ever let her go.

He didn't understand these nightmares that seemed to plague his mind every night. He couldn't remember the last good night's sleep he had actually gotten. He thought that maybe it was before he had ever met her that year. Now, every day, his mind was consumed with thoughts of her and every night, he saw her die in his dreams. He didn't know how much more he could take. He didn't know if he could watch her drown night after night and not be able to do anything about it. No matter what situation they were in and Hermione began to drown, Cedric could never save her. He didn't know what that meant. The dreams were telling to tell him something but what? He had already saved her from the lake once before. Was she going to be put in danger again? What was going to happen to her and why couldn't he ever save her in time? Why did she always drown? Cedric would kill himself before he ever let something harmful ever happen to Hermione.

Hermione shifted in his arms, her eyes still closed, her breath still deep and steady as she slept, and Cedric realized that one of his hands was resting right over her breast. The mound of flesh soft under his fingertips and he shifted slightly, his trousers growing suddenly much tighter. His hand remained on its resting spot but it was itching to feel the bare flesh without her clothing blocking his path. He squeezed her breast ever so gently and he was shocked into stillness when she moaned softly. Lifting his head and peering over her shoulder, he saw that her eyes were closed but she was biting her lip to keep from moaning too loudly – just like she had done in his dream. His lips brushed across her cheek and she pressed her bottom into his crotch, his erection no longer something he could hide from her. She felt it against her and she shifted slightly, making him moan softly in her ear. He squeezed her breast again and it was as if someone had lit a fire underneath them, sparking an ignition.

Cedric was very glad that she was awake now as she rolled over onto her back suddenly and lifting her head up, she fused their mouths together in a desperate hungry kiss, pulling him down on top of her. He didn't know if he was dreaming again but he didn't seem to be. Hermione reacted to each of his kisses, each of his touches. In the dream, everything moved at a much slower pace but right now, they seemed to be in a race with one another of who could touch more of the other. Cedric watched with slightly widened eyes as Hermione pulled her sweater up over her head, tossing it to the side and displaying herself for him in a plain simple white bra. It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and she smiled up at him, showing him just how completely relaxed she was in case he was worried about her being uncertain with anything regarding the situation they suddenly found themselves in.

"Cedric," she gasped softly just like she had in his dream when he slowly pulled the front of her bra down, revealing her small perfect breasts to him. It was cool out and even though the permanent heat bubble that seemed to always be around them had appeared with their first kiss since both woke up, her nipples hardened into dusty rose peaks. Cedric found his mouth practically salivating at the sight before him. Hermione watched him as he stared down at her, his eyes dark with lust and want. He resembled a starving animal who had just laid eyes upon a piece of meat after going months without eating. No one had ever looked at her the way Cedric was staring at her and she felt the throbbing ache between her legs intensify.

She wasn't afraid like she thought she would be. She had known that this would happen the instant his nightmare had stirred her from a deep sleep. This had been building between them since the first time they brushed arms at the Quidditch World Cup. Both had known that this moment was inevitable for them and would be useless to fight – not that either of them even fathomed the idea of trying to stop this. Why would they not want to do this? Their entire beings felt as if they would fall apart if they didn't touch one another at all times. They would be separated for hours each day due to their own classes and when they finally were able to spend a short time together, they both touched and kissed one another as if it was keeping them from going insane.

They needed one another more than anything – more than eating, more than sleeping. More than breathing. More than life.

The instant Cedric licked her breast and then sucked the nipple gently into his mouth, the light from both of their scars shot out in an almost blinding red light, projecting upwards towards the night sky. Neither paid attention however. They were more than used to the bright sparks produced from their scars. Hermione moaned a bit louder, her back arching off the ground, her fingers tangling in Cedric's hair, as he lavished his mouth and all of his attention on her bare breasts. Her hands, working as if they had a mind of their own, went to his pants, struggling for a moment with the button and the zipper before she was able to get both loose and lowered. Cedric managed to help her without lifting his head in pushing his pants and yellow boxers past his hips and kicked them off from his legs. He gasped when her small slightly cold hands wrapped around his erection and began stroking him slowly. He felt as if he was melting into her but her hands touching him like that only fueled his desire for her even more.

He lifted his head and covered her body with his, both breathing heavily, both of them staring deeply at the other. He leaned down, kissing her hard on the lips, drinking her in, growing increasingly intoxicated off of her taste. The way Hermione tasted was the most recognizable thing to him in the world. He had tasted her thousands of times before over thousands of years and each time he kissed her, it felt as if it was the first time and he got drunk all over again.

He tried to remember the first time – the very first time – his lips had ever touched hers but that had been so long ago, it was nearly impossible for him to imagine the first time he had ever seen her. He wondered when it was, how long ago, where they were. He had read the chapter in Hermione's book on what being Bound meant over and over again and Cedric wondered if he had known Hermione and had been connected to her since the beginning of time. It seemed like such an impossible experience and yet, every single time Cedric kissed Hermione, he believed whole-heartedly in it.

"This is your first time," Cedric whispered, his hands slowly pushing her skirt up around her waist.

Hermione smiled faintly, lifting her hips slightly off the ground. "It always is."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her and she laughed softly.

"You always ask me that."

He paused for a moment then smirked. "I do, don't I?" He asked, laughing along with her, his fingers now slowly pulling her panties down her legs. She helped him by kicking them away and he settled on top of her, his lower body now cradled in the apex of her thighs. "I don't want to hurt you."

She smiled again, shaking her head slightly. "You never do," she whispered. Her thumb brushed across his slightly pouted lips and she stared into his grey eyes. "I wonder how many times we've done this before."

He smiled. "Feels like a lot." He paused. "Are you nervous?"

"No," she said without hesitation and then laughed softly again. "Who would have thought that Hermione Granger would be doing such a thing underneath the Quidditch stands, breaking nearly every school rule in the process?"

Cedric grinned, almost laughing, and aided her when she reached for his shirt, trying to pull it off over his head. They both sighed happily as their naked chests finally made contact. The only clothing between them was Hermione's Hogwarts skirt pushed around her waist and it felt oddly arousing to her that she was still wearing it considering what they were about to do. As he continued staring at her however, his grin slowly faded and Hermione stared at him, knowing exactly what his thoughts were. She lifted a hand to his cheek, her thumb brushing soothingly across his skin.

"I'm going to be alright, Cedric."

He shook his head slightly, closing his eyes. "They are so real when I dream them."

Hermione lifted her head and pressed a kiss to his forehead, between his eyebrows. She slipped her arms around his neck and he lowered his head, fusing their lips together in a kiss that seemed to make their scars grow even brighter. With their mouths still connected, Cedric moved his hips back and thrust fully inside of her, breaking through her thin barrier, causing her to cry out. He stilled completely, placing soft kisses on her lips and her face. She clung to him tightly, her body stiff with the new intrusion though in the back of her mind, she knew that she had felt this before though it seemed so long ago, it almost made her think that it had been in nothing more than a dream. She knew that she had been here before in this position – Cedric above her, their bodies connected to one another, being as close as to one another as humanly possible. They have done this many times before.

It wasn't like her to act like this – to just throw caution to the wind and make love underneath the bleachers hours past curfew. But whenever Hermione was with Cedric, she cared about nothing else but him and being with him. Nothing else existed in her world except for him. She felt him begin to move, sliding in and out of her and she moaned softly, clinging to him tightly, feeling him kiss her gently over and over again. She felt as if she had died and had just reawakened again.

Both were too caught up in each other to notice their heart beats speed up at the same time and then slow down again until they were beating at the exact same rate. And neither noticed as the red glow from their scars grew even brighter.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore had fallen asleep at his desk as he seemed to do most nights now, surrounded by piles of books as he tried to research as much as he could about the Bound magic that had taken over two of his very own students. He had been on the chapter of Antony and Cleopatra – one of the two other cases of recorded and known bound couples in history – when he had drifted off.

But now, something had woken him and he didn't know what it was. He took of his half-moon spectacles and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, refraining from yawning again. He stood up from the hard wood chair at his desk and scratching his jaw line where his beard itched his face, he closed all of his books and stacked them into more organized stacks. Glancing at one of the clocks ticking on the wall, he said that it was just a few minutes after two o'clock. He had not been getting much rest and he didn't know when he would. Every day, at least one professor or another member of the staff, would come to him to report on something they had seen between Cedric and Hermione, whether it be a kiss or a fleeting touch or a whispered conversation. Professor Flitwick had reported just that day of the two laughing over something even though they had not exchanged any words. If they were able to read one another's minds then Dumbledore feared that their Bounding was already far more serious than he had originally thought.

He studied the pensieve daily, watching their past memories play out for him – memories of Cedric and Hermione from past lives that neither truly remembered. At the present moment, the two merely thought of them as dreams and nothing more. But they were so much more than that. They weren't dreams but they were past lives instead, past experiences that the two had gone through together. So far, he had counted fourteen separate lives that the two had met during and lived together. Different time periods, different people and yet, always Cedric and Hermione. It was incredible to watch and yet, also quite unnerving at the same time. Dumbledore didn't know what to make of any of it. Cedric and Hermione would meet, fall instantly in love, and would spend the remainder of that life together. Every life ended the same though and that was what Dumbledore was trying to make sense of.

He had to find a way to make sure that history did not repeat itself for the fifteenth time for the couple.

He slowly made his way up the circular cobble staircase to one of his bedchambers but passing by one of the small alcove windows, he stopped suddenly when he glanced out and his eyes suddenly were wide with alertness. Looking out over the grounds of Hogwarts, staring at the Quidditch field off in the distance, he saw a single ray of red light shooting from the ground up towards the sky. It seemed to be coming out from underneath the stands and Dumbledore leaned closer to look out the window, the breath catching in his throat.

The red light. The marking of a Bound spell. Seeing that light with such intensity and brightness could only mean one thing. The spell was finalized. The magic between them had just gained its maximum strength.

And because of that, Cedric and Hermione had just, unknowingly, doomed themselves.


	8. Because There’s Beauty in the Breakdown

_Wow. I am officially the worst person at updating. I am sorry for the long delay in writing this chapter. Please read it and review it for me. I hope everyone likes it. _

* * *

Chapter Eight – Because There's Beauty in the Breakdown

Hermione felt as if she was riding a rollercoaster. Her eyes were closed and yet, her head continued to spin and her body was rising higher and higher. She couldn't stop it. She couldn't even seem to wake herself up. She saw Cedric. He was standing a few feet away from her but she couldn't reach him. She tried calling out to him but his back was turned to her and he didn't seem as if he was able to hear her no matter how loud she yelled. He wouldn't turn around. Why wouldn't he turn around?

She felt hot tears begin to sting her eyes. She couldn't get to him. Her feet felt as if they were stuck to the ground, buried in cement, immobilizing her, and no one was coming to help her. Her head was spinning uncontrollably now and she felt as if she was going to faint.

_Cedric!_ She cried out but he still wouldn't turn around to look at her. He was just a few feet away and yet, his back remained turned towards her.

She looked around at her surroundings. She was surrounded by tall bushes of foliage – almost as if she was in a maze of sorts. Everywhere she looked, she was surrounded by the green of the leaves and the darkness of the night. Where was she? Cedric stood in front of her, out of her reach, and she had never felt further away from him before. She could feel his heartbeat though for when his heart sped up suddenly, hers did as well and then when he was gripped with apprehension, she also grew nervous. Everything he felt, she did as well and she frantically looked around, trying to see the cause of his sudden anxiety and growing fear.

She could see nothing though and she wondered if that was why she was growing so upset and terrified. She wanted to see. She _needed_ to see what Cedric saw. She could only feel it through him and she needed to see it so she could help him fight it.

_Cedric!_

She tried screaming at him again but he still did not hear. He was too absorbed with whatever it was that he saw standing in front of him.

Her head spun harder and she clenched her eyes shut, trying to get it to stop. She felt like she was going to be sick. Her heart pounded in her chest and she tried to focus, tried to get Cedric to calm down. He was trying his hardest to put on a brave front but only she would be able to feel his paralyzing fear. She tried to remain calm but that was impossible. She couldn't move, couldn't get through to him. His emotions had taken her over completely and she couldn't stop them all from bombarding into her at once like pellets.

"_Hermione, he knows about us," _Cedric suddenly spoke to her through his thoughts.

"_Who?"_ She asked urgently, so grateful that he had finally acknowledged, she nearly began crying again. Cedric did not answer her question however because Hermione already knew the answer. Because Cedric knew the answer, she knew it as well.

She now understood why he was nearly shaking with his fear. Someone had seen them. Someone had seen the marks and had known what was happening between them. They had been spied upon and then had gone and told _him_.

"_Through you and the mudblood, I will get to Potter_," a hiss-like voice that sounded like a snake shot through her body and she felt sick to her stomach. She had never felt fear like this before. It took hold of her body with cold hands and she couldn't think, couldn't move. Like Cedric, she was now completely paralyzed. _"__Avada Kedavra__!"_ The hiss suddenly commanded.

"_NO!" _Hermione screamed but it was too late. She saw the sparks of green from an unseen wand and Cedric was knocked onto the ground, having been killed instantly.

The force holding her to one place immediately broke and Hermione fell to the ground hard on her hands and knees. She was crying so hard, she could hardly see, but she crawled towards him. She couldn't feel him anymore. He had completely faded away into nothingness and with it, their arms no longer glowed. His being no longer flowed through her. She wept so hard, she felt as if she was going to make herself sick and she fell on top of him, burying her head in his chest. He was already so cold. She clung to him, not wanting to ever let go.

"_Cedric… please don't leave me_."

It began happening slowly but she could feel it nonetheless. She welcomed it, excited by it. She wasn't going to live without Cedric. She knew she wouldn't be able to. The spell knew it too and Hermione felt her heart actually begin to slow down. Her eyes fluttered closed and as she took her last breath, she felt a heavy wind roaring in her ears before she died, still clinging to Cedric.

"_You will both be dead by tomorrow night."_

Hermione awoke with such a start, she flew into a sitting position, her body coated in a sheen layer of sweet and her bed covers kicked from off her body. The scream that tore from her lungs pierced throughout the otherwise silent night, awaking everyone in the Gryffindor tower. She couldn't stop screaming. Her terror was unstoppable and she shook and wept as she continued to scream.

And across the castle, tucked away in his bed, sleeping for once without having a nightmare of his own, Cedric felt her fear rip through his body and her screams echoing in his ears. He didn't even hesitate. He threw the covers from off his body and leapt from his bed. He had to get to her. Something was happening and he had to save her. As he ran, he tried to talk to her through their thoughts but she couldn't be reached. Her fear was too great and that in turn, seized his heart in his own fear.

Professor McGonagall tried to calm Hermione down but her screams would not stop. The hissing words kept repeating in her mind and Cedric's cold body could still be felt with her own. A crowd was gathered outside the door, peering into the bedroom she shared with Lavender and Parvati, and Ron and Harry had to shove their way through their fellow housemates to get to her.

"Cedric!" She cried out as Minerva gripped her shoulders, shaking her, and several of the students looked at one another with confusion upon hearing the Hufflepuff's name fall from her lips.

"Hermione," Harry gasped breathlessly, finally able to get into the room and he and Ron were instantly at her side though they instantly felt helpless. Ron grabbed her arms and Harry tried to get her to look at them but she only kept screaming, trashing around as if she was trying to fight something off from her dreams that they couldn't see.

"Voldemort!" Hermione screamed and everyone except Minerva and Harry who had heard gave a collective gasp. "Harry, Voldemort is coming!" Harry was shocked into complete stillness as his best friend looked at him, her eyes wide with a terror he had never seen in her before. "I need Cedric. I need to see Cedric!"

No one moved and the air seemed to leave the room as Hermione's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she promptly fainted in Minerva's arms.

Cedric quickly steered direction and instead of running towards the Gryffindor tower which is where his feet were initially taking him, he felt Hermione being moved and he bolted towards the hospital wing. The blood roared in his ears as his heart pounded in his chest.

"_Hermione!" _His mind shouted loudly but she didn't respond. He couldn't get to her and that scared him more than anything ever had before.

Madame Pomfrey leaned over Hermione, pressing a hand to her forehead, trying to determine what had happened to the young lady, as Minerva, Albus and Harry and Ron all waited by her bed, scared, anxious and confused as to what had happened. When the large doors at the end of the hall banged open, they all looked to see Cedric, panting heavily, enter.

Before he could get too close to the bed Hermione was laying in however, Ron stalked towards him, his blue eyes flashing with anger. Without saying anything at first, Ron wound his fist back and shot it forward, having it collide with Cedric's jaw. The sheer force of the punch sent Cedric onto the floor and Ron bent down to deliver one but Harry grabbed him, trying to hold him back.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" Ron demanded to know, shouting at him, not caring that McGonagall and Dumbledore were both there to punish him for his language and his violence. "Hermione was just fine before that bloody second task! What did you do to her?"

Cedric was able to get to his feet with Harry holding Ron back. His jaw ached and he knew that he was going to have a bruise. He also knew that Ron and Harry were Hermione's best friends and that they were worried and scared for her but that didn't give either of them the right to just punch him. They had no idea what was going on. They didn't know that it was so much bigger than any of them.

"I didn't do anything to Hermione!" Cedric shouted back and Ron struggled to break free from Harry's hold so he could deliver another punch to the Hufflepuff seeker.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory," Dumbledore spoke calmly, stepping towards the three young students.

"Ms. Granger needs quiet. I need everyone out of here this instant," Madame Pomfrey demanded in a firm whisper, horrified that someone would disrespect the hospital wing so much by starting a fighting and screaming match.

"Cedric has my permission to stay with Hermione," Dumbledore instructed but as Ron and Harry both opened their mouths to complain, he continued. "Professor McGonagall and myself will talk to Ron and Harry in my office and explain the present situation to them."

Cedric almost snorted. No one had explained what was going on to him or Hermione. They had to figure it out for themselves but of course Dumbledore would coddle Harry. He shook his head slightly. He didn't mean that. He didn't have a problem with Harry Potter or Ron Weasley, except now for the punching him. He was just so petrified for Hermione that he wasn't thinking clearly.

Without hesitating or waiting for everyone to leave him alone with her, Cedric went to Hermione, laying on the bed, and touched her and kissed her. He sat on the side of the bed and pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes, trying to calm down and send some of his tranquility onto her.

"How did he even know that she would be here?" Harry asked Dumbledore as everyone left the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey closed the doors behind them.

The room was silent and dark and Cedric focused all of his attention onto Hermione who had yet to wake up. He kept his forehead pressed to hers and a hand rested on her cheek. His other was placed on her chest, over her heart and as he felt his own heartbeats begin to slow down as he calmed down, he felt hers do the same as well. He poured his energy into both of them finding peace for if he didn't, she certainly wouldn't. They felt everything together now.

Since their first time underneath the Quidditch stands, the strength of their bind had increased ten folds. When he was hungry, her stomach grumbled as well. When she sat in class and sneezed, no matter where he was in the castle, Cedric felt his own nose begin to tickle. It didn't scare them though like one would have thought. They had almost been expecting it to happen. Hermione had read that sexual stimulation would bring the spell to its full power and now, the craving for the other their bodies experienced was never quenched no matter what they did. They made love every day, whenever they could find time. They would meet in empty classrooms and on several instances, in the greenhouse. They always wanted one another and they felt hollow when they were apart.

"That's it, 'Mione," he whispered to her, his eyes closed, his concentration focused on nothing but her. "Breathe with me, baby."

He knew now that he had been panting not because of the sprinting from his room to the hospital wing. He had been panting because she hadn't been able to breathe. Her nightmare had taken her energy from her and she couldn't breathe. Therefore, Cedric hadn't been able to either.

"Ow."

Cedric's eyes flew open and he exhaled a sigh of relief as he saw that her own eyes were fluttering open as well.

"What is it? Are you alright? What happened?" He immediately asked. He didn't mean to bombard her with his questions but he had to know what was going on. She was hiding it from him and no matter how hard he searched her mind, he couldn't find the answers.

She gently pushed his hand from her cheek and she opened her jaw, wincing in pain before closing it again. "Did someone hit you?" She asked.

"Oh," he said, sitting up, his hand remaining on her chest, making sure that her heart remained at the same steady pace it was currently beating at. "Your mate, Ron, had a rather strong opinion of me."

Hermione stared at him, still feeling her jaw from where Cedric had been punched, and then she lifted her other hand to his face, her fingers gently swiping over the angry red mark on his right jaw, already slowly beginning to bruise. She would have to talk to Ron about that. He couldn't just go around hitting people – especially Cedric and not only because if he hit Cedric, he was technically hitting her too. She had lectured him countless times of how violence was never the answer but it was a speech Ron never seemed to remember considering how many fights he got into.

She slowly began to realize that she was in the hospital wing and Cedric sensed her confusion, moving closer to her again. Her hands went to the collar of his shirt, pulling him to her and they maneuvered their bodies around until Hermione was laying completely back and he was on top of her. He really hoped that Madame Pomfrey didn't come back in to find them in this compromising position and his thoughts made Hermione smile faintly before she pressed her lips to his softly.

Cedric did not hesitate in returning the kiss, cupping her head in his hands, tilting it slightly to the side so he could kiss her deeply, his mouth angling against hers, his tongue swiping into her mouth and tasting that sweet flavor that was completely her.

"Tell me what happened," he told her, using his inner strength to pry his mouth from hers. First things first. He had to know what was happening so he could fix it and then he would love her until the sun rose and she was released from the hospital.

At the thought of her nightmare, Hermione instantly grew cold once again and she clung to Cedric tightly, not letting go, never wanting to let him go. She didn't want to talk about it but she knew she had to. She was keeping it from Cedric. She could feel him trying to read her thoughts but she was hiding from him, which only added to his worry and slight apprehension, growing stronger with each passing minute she didn't answer him. She held onto him tighter.

"We are going to die," she whispered into the side of his neck. "I saw it happen." She felt Cedric stiffen but her arms tightened around him so he could not pull back to look at her. She pressed her face more into his shoulder and neck. "Someone knows of our binding. They saw our marks or saw us together or… I don't know." Her voice began to tremble and she felt him pressing his lips to her ear, trying to keep her calm so she could keep talking. She took a shaky breath and forced herself to continue. "They are a spy for Voldemort."

Like almost everyone else in the wizarding world, Cedric stilled at the name. He never said it and could barely stand to hear it when someone else uttered it.

"He will kill you during the third task to kill me. And then he will kill Ron. He will kill anyone close to Harry. He only wants Harry but we are in his way."

Tears rolled down her cheeks and Cedric felt the moisture on his neck. He held her tighter as she trembled.

Cedric didn't understand. He wasn't doubting her dream but he was doubting the meaning of it. Each and every time he dreamt of their deaths, she drowned. She didn't die through him. She died and then he always followed. Moments passed after she drowned that he would die as well but never did he die first. She always went first despite his efforts to save her and then he always willingly died as well.

"Please don't do the third task, Cedric. You have to forfeit," Hermione pleaded with him, finally releasing him just enough so they could move their heads back and lock their eyes together. He wiped at her tears but more fell down her cheeks as she continued to cry. "I can't lose you. We just found one another. Please don't to the third task. We won't survive if you do."

He didn't respond immediately. It wasn't in his nature to quit anything he started. She knew that about him and yet, she asked him to do the very thing he never did. He faced his battles head on. If someone was trying to kill him and Hermione, he needed to take care of it instead of turning around and running away. He couldn't quit the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He had to see this through to the end. He had to save him and Hermione and hopefully, when he did, all threats and nightmares would be over. It was his duty to take care of her and look after her. He couldn't do that if he quit and hid, living every day in fear that it would be his last.

Hermione saw all of his thoughts and she kissed him, pouring her fear and love for him into that kiss, trying to convince him that not quitting wasn't even an option. If he entered that maze for the third task, he would die and so would she. He had to quit. She knew it was against his principles but surely, he loved her more than victory or glory.

_Please, Cedric. Don't do this_, she pleaded with him, kissing him harder, deeper.

He didn't respond immediately, instead, kissing her, matching her heat and hunger. He pushed her back further onto the bed, laying fully on top of her. Both remembered that they were in their thin flimsy pajamas and she moaned softly when he cupped one of her breasts through her thin tank top.

_I will talk to Dumbledore, _he answered, gently sucking on her tongue_. I promise._

But first, he had other matters to attend to. She had had a bad night and he now had to see to her first. After he took care of her tonight then he would take care of himself and talk to Dumbledore in the morning.


	9. Anywhere You Go, Let Me Go Too

Chapter Nine – Anywhere You Go, Let Me Go Too

Ron Weasley knew that there were many things in this world that he did not fully understand and he never would. He supposed that since coming to Hogwarts, he had become a bit more lazy in always expecting his best friends to figure things out and he blindly following along. In the golden trio, he certainly wasn't the brains of the operation and he fully well knew that. He was just fine with that most of the time too.

As he sat in Dumbledore's office with Harry, both listening intently to what the head master was explaining to them in regards to Hermione and Cedric Diggory, Ron couldn't help but wonder if Harry was getting a splitting headache like he was. He couldn't understand any of what was being said. Hermione and Cedric were… bound? What the bleeding hell did that mean? He heard it being explained in great detail but he couldn't seem to bring himself to grasp it. Cedric and Hermione had known one another for centuries and had shared previous lives together? That was one of the most ludicrous things Ron had ever heard and with the brothers he had, he had heard plenty of ridiculous far-fetched things in his lifetime.

This might just take the grand prize though. He stared at Dumbledore as he spoke about Hermione and Cedric and their different lives together and the effects the binding spell was having on them and though he had seen several changes in Hermione that had been cause for concern, he still couldn't believe any of what was being said. The idea of such a connection between two people – especially when Hermione was one of those two people – sounded as if it was from a work of fiction.

"Perhaps a look into the pensieve will help," Dumbledore suggested, feeling the doubt resonating from both of the young men sitting in the chairs in front of his desk. The old man stood up slowly and swept his arm out towards the pensieve located in the corner that he studied on a nightly basis, trying to get a firm understanding on the magical spell between two of his students.

Albus Dumbledore could never be confused for a fool and he knew that he was grasping at straws. The magic between Cedric and Hermione, now that they had committed the final act of the spell by giving into the blinding desire between them, was unbreakable. There was no way to break the binding. It had lasted for dozens of centuries and not even a man like Albus Dumbledore had the ability to put a stop to it. This magic would always be between them: never ending, never satisfied, always ravishing them until there was nothing else left except death until another life for them began for the magic to take over again.

"Come," Dumbledore said, guiding both boys to the pensieve. "Now, it will be hard to believe at first but everything you see has indeed already happened. Who you are seeing are in fact Hermione and Cedric but they are not the two you know now."

Harry and Ron looked at one another and Ron shook his head slightly to show his disbelief in the entire situation. Harry, on the other hand, was a bit more open to this very strange possibility. Hermione had been acting out of character lately. She was sneaking off constantly to be with Cedric, laughing at jokes no one around her could hear, writing in languages she, herself, didn't even seem to know. Ever since the second task when Cedric had rescued her from the bottom of the lake, nothing about his best friend had been the same. He needed to know why. He needed to know why Hermione had screamed Voldemort's name that night from her nightmare.

* * *

_1860 – London _

Emma Granger had strategically sat her daughter down at the table next to Lord Diggory for the dinner party and now, as all of the guests ate their meals, talking boisterously and laughing at political and social jokes they told one another, Emma hardly paid attention at all – which she knew was horribly rude of her but her efforts were not going to go unobserved that night.

Hermione was eighteen-years-old and it was time that the young girl get married. Lord Cedric Diggory, the only son to one of the wealthiest families in all the city, had just returned from a year-long journey to India, helping establish more lands for the Queen and Great Britain's Empire and both Emma and her husband, Robert Granger, felt that it would be a perfect match between the two. Both families had their share of wealth and power and respectability and a joining of Hermione and Cedric would simply be one made in heaven.

Cedric was highly aware of the presence of the young beauty sitting to his left. Her dress was a periwinkle blue that fit her fragile slim body perfectly, her skin was pale and flawless with a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her large brown eyes and gentle smile were both bright and inviting. Unlike all of the other women in attendance, her hair was not pulled up into some painfully tight knot on the back of her head. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in all of his years of life and travel.

He didn't mean to stare at her as they ate but he found it extremely difficult, nearly impossible, to look away from her. He probably looked like a besotted fool to the other guests in attendance but he couldn't help himself. He stared at her and for some reason, he felt… familiarity – a sense of déjà vu as if he had seen her before. He knew that the feeling wasn't a logical one. He had never seen Hermione Granger before that night and he certainly didn't know her in the way his body and mind seemed to think he did.

His fingers itched to touch her though he knew how wildly inappropriate that would be. Her father would probably do nothing else than throwing him out of the house on his arse and forbidding him to ever come near his daughter again. That was the best case scenario of what would happen if Cedric did dare to touch her right then. He clasped his hands into fists so tightly, his knuckles nearly began to turn white. It didn't matter that Cedric was an important man in the expansion of the empire or that he was in good favor with the Queen herself. What mattered was Hermione's honor and touching her would taint that. Cedric didn't want to do that to her.

For some reason, he seemed to know that she liked being kissed on the inside of her elbows and that she was ticklish behind her knees. She had a freckle on the inside of her left that it felt as if his lips always seemed instantly drawn to. How did he know all of this? He frowned to himself. He was clearly just making things up.

After the last of the plates were cleared, Hermione's mother, Emma, cleared her throat and smiled warmly at him and her daughter. "Hermione, perhaps you could show Lord Diggory the gardens? Everything has finally bloomed with the warm weather and the fresh air will be pleasant to feel after being cooped up in this dining room for so long."

Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes, knowing it wouldn't be the most lady-like of gestures, at her mother's so-called subtlety. It was no secret what Emma, and even Robert her father, were up to. They saw Cedric's title and wealth and his position – growing ever more important as the Queen's lands spread throughout the globe – in the monarchy and they immediately sought him out as their son-in-law. She was sickened by it. Didn't she have a say in any of it? Did her parents ever consider that, per chance, she didn't _want_ to marry Cedric Diggory? She didn't even know him. Why should she feel compelled to spend the rest of her life with a stranger just for the further political and social advancement of her family?

But then as he stood up from his chair, his arm brushed against hers accidentally and she gasped, instantly bombarded with strange images in her mind of gray eyes and slightly pouted lips – lips that she knew she had kissed countless times before. Scared, startled, and oddly aroused, Hermione looked up at Cedric and saw that he was staring down at her, his eyes dark and smoldering. She shivered as she seemed to be able to read his thoughts and he was undressing her hungrily with his eyes. He had seen what she had seen – images of kissing, of naked flesh touching, of bodies joined and rocking together intimately. Both seemed to realize that the images were of the other. And just from a touch.

"Yes, mother," Hermione said, standing up, wondering how her voice wasn't shaking and she was able to not fall over despite her knees shaking beneath her dress. "I will gladly show Lord Diggory the gardens."

She left the dining room and she felt Cedric right behind her. As they walked down the hallway towards the back doors leading to the back property of her father's estate, she gasped softly when she felt his hand suddenly on her back. The way her dress was cut, the skin between her shoulder blades was exposed and he now touched her naked flesh daringly. She didn't stop him though. Her body instantly felt as if it was on fire from one touch from him. She wouldn't dream of stopping him.

"I know you," he murmured, stepping up fully behind her so her back pressed to his chest and his lips went to her ear. It didn't matter that they were standing in the hallway of her parents' house in clear vision of anyone. His mind was being taken over completely by something else and propriety was the last thing he cared about.

"How do I know you?" She asked in a breathless whisper. Her eyes closed as she felt his hands creep over her hips and rest on her stomach for a moment before slowly inching up her front to her breasts. "We've done this before."

Their hearts raced, pounded in their chests and they both breathed heavily as Hermione felt his hands and lips on her. He spun her around and her arms instantly went around his neck as he latched his mouth to hers, kissing the very breath from her lungs. It was desperate. Hungry. Neither could get close enough to the other. Her fingers gripped the hair on the back of his head and he guided her backwards until she was pressed up against the wall. Even when they could no longer breathe, they didn't stop kissing one another.

They were no longer the ones in charge of themselves.

* * *

Harry and Ron both looked away from the pensieve as their best friend quickly grew intimate with Cedric right there in the hallway of what was supposed to be her parents' home. Harry frowned as he rubbed the back of his neck. That had definitely been Hermione and Cedric but a century earlier. How was that possible? How was any of it possible? His head was beginning to hurt from thinking about it. He could only imagine how Cedric and Hermione have felt for the last few months since this magic was actually happening to them.

"Bloody hell," Ron said, the tips of his ears red with embarrassment at having seen Hermione in such a position. "Does it always work that… _fast_?"

"This is the only instance in any of their lives that the connection was almost instantaneous between them," Dumbledore said. "It usually takes a few days and occasionally, even a few weeks before the spell is at full power between them."

Harry shook his head slightly, trying to shake the vision of Hermione being shagged by Cedric up against a wall and then turned back towards the professor. "How did it end? How did this life end for them?"

"They were married within two weeks and Hermione moved to India with Cedric. They lived there for three years and they were the happiest years of their lives," Dumbledore said, clasping his hands behind his back. "But Hermione died in a terrible drowning accident and Cedric died two days later."

Harry frowned, glancing back at the pensieve before looking back at Dumbledore. "Professor? Where did this come from? Why is it Hermione and Cedric?"

"Do they…" Ron cleared his throat, frowning as well. "Die?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, unfortunately, they do. But we all die, Mr. Weasley. That's the easy part," the older, much wiser, professor said before turning his head towards Harry. "As for where and when this started… I sadly do not know that yet. There are dozens of lives to sort out and there are some that I need to study more closely. I need to understand the spell completely before I can even begin to help them."

"Do you know if they have-"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered as Ron began turning beet red from the question he had tried to ask. "They have and the spell has reached its full power because of it. Their minds and hearts are now so intricately connected, there is not a spell known to any man on how to break it. They can read each other's thoughts now. Their memories are stretching as far back as any of their lives in the past. When they are apart, their bodies experience a pain no other human being could possibly understand or relate to. If one dies, the other does not stand a chance of survival."

Harry and Ron were silent as each took in the weight of the professor's words.

Harry spoke first. "What can we do to help them, professor?"

Dumbledore stared at the two young men and smiled faintly. He knew that they would do anything to help their best friend and he knew that he could depend on them. "I just might have a plan."

* * *

Hermione moaned underneath him as his lips continued their slow torturous assault on her body as he slowly made his way down her throat to one of her breasts, her nipples hardening through the flimsy fabric of the tank top she had been sleeping in. Each time they kissed one another or were connected intimately, in the throes of making love, they always received flashes of their previous lives together and they were finally able to differentiate which vision went with each life shared. They were no longer scared or confused by these images playing out before them. They welcomed them and became excited when they discovered something new from it.

Hanging in the air above her hospital bed, Cedric could smell the sweet flowers that he smelled those months ago at the Quidditch World Cup. Smelling that exotic scent had been his first vision when he had brushed against Hermione for the first time, thoroughly confusing him, but now, he finally knew what it was from. It was from their life in India together. In the small yard of their home there in Bombay, Hermione had grown flowers everywhere and the scent would waft in through their bedroom window in the early hours of the morning and always would wake him.

Hermione had told him it was Saffron Crocus for she could sometimes smell it too. From her life in India with him, she remembered that the delicate purple flowers had always been her favorite and had planted them the most. Through the visions, she also saw that after she had drowned, during the funeral ceremony, Cedric had surrounded her body with Saffron Crocus before they had burned her to ashes. Cedric had died less than twelve hours after that and he had received the same treatment before both of their ashes were scattered into the ocean. Together.

The hospital wing was silent and dark except for their heavy panting and the red glow of their scars. Hermione's fingers found his hair, tangling in it and holding onto his head as he lavished all of his attention on her breasts for the time being. Her eyes were closed and she was so lost in the feelings that he always conjured from her that she didn't even feel as he shed them of all of their clothes. She gasped, her hands gripping his muscular biceps as he entered her with one swift, almost desperate, thrust – his body shaking with his hunger for her.

Soon he was buried deep inside her, thrusting hard against her tightness, and the hospital bed began to squeak every so slightly as their bodies moved together in perfect harmonization. Sitting up on his knees, he wrapped his arms around her legs and lifted them over his shoulders, pushing himself deeper into her. He stared down at the girl beneath him. Her brown curls were in complete disarray on her pillowcase and her entire body glistened with sweat, from her gentle face to her round breasts and hard nipples. And then there was the opening between her legs, always ready for him, tight and wet, soaked with her desire for him that matched his own for her. It felt like her entire body was pulsing around his hardness and with each thrust into her, he could feel her tightening. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Her thighs began to tremble from their perch on his shoulders. He raised his hands to steady them and keep them from slipping off his body. Neither thought of anyone walking in on them. Neither could think of anything except of each other.

He drove into her harder and groaned as he heard her moan his name out again. He couldn't get enough of her and yet he could feel the blood gathering in his throbbing member and the familiar hot rush that drove him wild. He lowered her thighs and wrapped them around his waist, bending down to kiss her lips as he pushed deep into her. Their bodies rubbed and moved together. Every stroke sent a wave through her body that rushed through her nerves and escaped from her mouth as a moan. Cedric pounded deep into her, nearly hitting her cervix with each thrust, causing her to gasp with surprise and caught each of her exhales in his own mouth as he kissed her hard.

"Hermione," he whispered. "Hermione." He buried his face into her neck and sucked on her skin as he increased his speed to finish off. When the final thrust crashed into her tight, sensitive walls, Cedric moaned into the nape of her neck, "'Mione…"

"Cedric!" Hermione cried out as she clutched his body close to hers, she could feel his hot seed filling her and his warm cock throbbing inside her body. Cedric kissed her face everywhere that his lips could reach as their bodies both quaked from their simultaneous orgasms. They always came together. Every time.

"I love you," she whispered, her legs and arms still wrapped tightly around him, her breathing slowly – ever so slowly – returning to normal. Cedric lifted his head to see that she was crying but she shook her head and smiled. "That feels so insufficient. _I love you_. There should be something much stronger that I can say to you instead."

Cedric smiled, brushing a light kiss across her lips. He didn't say it but she knew that he felt the exact same way.

Both fell completely still, their lips still connected but their eyes widening, when suddenly, throughout the silence of the hospital wing, the cries of a baby echoed. Cedric lifted his head and though he knew that there wouldn't be around, he looked around at the empty room around them nonetheless. Another cry of an infant rang out and Hermione took in a shaky breath.

"Cedric," she whispered and he turned his head to look at her. "It's our baby."


	10. Words Never Before Spoken

_AN: Thank you a million times to everyone who has read and reviewed this story for me. I am still completely blown away by the response this story has gotten ever since I posted the first chapter over a year ago. This chapter may seem a bit choppy and almost confusing but I was hoping to convey Cedric and Hermione's own confusion with it and hopefully, I was able to get that across to all of the readers. Please read and review it for me. There is just one - maybe two - chapters left. Thank you. _

* * *

Chapter Ten – Words Never Spoken Before

The dark ominous clouds that had been hanging low in the sky for most of the day finally broke in the early evening and a light rain, more of a mist, began to fall, slowly soaking everything in its path. It was the perfect sort of weather to stay tucked warmly in one's bedroom and drink a cup of hot chocolate while reading a good book and staying dry.

He knew that that was exactly what Hermione was doing in the Gryffindor tower though she kept getting distracted as her thoughts constantly wondered to daydreams of him. She wanted him to come. She needed him just as he needed her. It had almost been four hours since he had been inside of her last and his body was aching for the sweet release that only she could provide from the pain that engulfed his entire being when he was away from her.

Cedric remained on the Quidditch Pitch though, standing in the center of the field, allowing himself to get soaked and hoping that the coolness of the rain would calm his body down. He had to concentrate and he needed to shove Hermione from his thoughts for just a while. She was always there just as he was always in hers. There was never a moment to themselves and that was all Cedric wanted. Just a moment's thought without her immediately knowing of it as well.

He loved her. God, he loved her more than anything. He hadn't even thought that feeling this much love towards one other person at his age was possible. But how could he not love Hermione? She was beautiful and sexy and funny and so intelligent, it sometimes was frightening. She was everything he could possibly ever want. He may have been young – both of them may have been – but he did know that.

A man couldn't share what he had with Hermione and not be in love with her. He had gotten to know her ever since all of this had started and he knew that no one knew him as well as Hermione knew him. They had shared so many lives together. They were so connected and there was nothing that could tear them apart.

There wasn't, was there? Cedric frowned.

No one knew what was happening to them. Being Bound was still something so unheard of in the magical word and even with Dumbledore studying for endless hours in his chambers, there were still so many questions. The cry of the baby the other night in the hospital wing was just one mystery to what was happening to them. Both had shifted through memories of their lives in search of an answer to that one. There had been a few lives in which Hermione had been pregnant but she either miscarried or the baby died during its birth. They had never had a healthy baby in their life together. Cedric didn't know why and he didn't know why they had heard a baby cry.

But Hermione had given herself a pregnancy test – a short spell said while holding one's wand to the abdomen. If the test was positive, green sparks would shoot out. If negative, red sparks would appear instead. Both Hermione and Cedric had sighed with relief when they saw red. Neither wanted a baby – at least not at that time. They were still so young and they still had so many things to figure out for themselves. Hermione was still convinced that something was going to happen to him if he participated in the third task and he was still convinced she was going to drown somehow. There was far too much going on for a baby but they still couldn't explain the baby's cries. They still couldn't explain a lot of things.

He had the third task within a week and he should have been preparing himself. He couldn't focus his mind though. He couldn't concentrate on anything and for another fleeting moment, he found himself blaming Hermione, pushing her away. He needed her to leave him alone for a few minutes. Neither knew how. There didn't seem to be anyway whatsoever to block the other out. It was exhausting most of the time. It was hard enough being a teenage male with his own thoughts let alone adding the thoughts of a teenage girl on top of that. He now understood why of the two other reported cases of the Bound spell throughout history, did they both end in suicide.

Being Bound was beyond any magical ability that almost everyone in the magical world had ever experienced. It couldn't be explained and it couldn't be stopped. It was overwhelming and scary and beyond a person's control. Their minds and bodies were no longer their own. They were now under the spell's power and it was almost as if they had no say in the matter. He could see how others weren't able to handle everything that came with this.

_Are you that miserable?_

Cedric closed his eyes for a moment as Hermione's question asked in his mind. She was hurt and sad and her emotions punched him in the chest.

_I love you. You know that, _he told her, tilting his head upwards towards the gloomy sky, his eyes still closed, the rain falling now a bit harder, soaking him further.

_Are you that miserable, Cedric?_ Hermione asked again, more firmly this time.

He didn't answer. He didn't have to. She already knew what his answer was to that particular question. The wave of sadness that rolled over Hermione slammed into him again – more powerful than a punch this time though. It felt more like a bludger ramming into his stomach and the force of it, he fell onto his knees, gasping for air.

A barrage of thoughts took no pity on him and he felt as if his head was moments away from exploding. The ground was muddy from the rain and he tried to grab fistfuls of grass, needing to hold onto something, but he couldn't grip onto anything. He couldn't breathe, couldn't stand up, and he couldn't get away from what he saw.

He saw what life had been like before Hermione. He saw how empty and meaningless his days were. He saw his friends but none of them truly knew him. He saw Cho but she was only with him because of how well they looked and how popular they were when together. He saw his life filled with nothing but Quidditch and his studies. He was obsessed with succeeding at everything he did with failure never even being an option. He was a proud intelligent young man with nothing in his life that made it special.

And then he saw his life with Hermione. Dozens of lives shared together and in every single one of those, he had been blindingly happy. He was always smiling or laughing when he was with her. The way she looked at him, he felt like he was special. Like he was someone worthy of her. He saw them kissing, hugging, making love. He saw their weddings and their days spent together. He felt how empty he was each time she died and he was left alone until he soon followed her.

He didn't know how he had survived without her. He didn't know how he ever would.

Through his own pain, he felt Hermione's as well and knew that she was experiencing the same things he was. He tried to call out to her, tried to tell her that he was sorry. He wasn't miserable. Not with her. Never with her. He was just tired and had the third task to worry about. But he couldn't tell her these things.

His mind could only scream as the white searing pain burned through his brain and he fell over into the mud, his hands grabbing his head, his cries of pain echoing throughout the air, nearly being drowned out by the rain and the rumbling of thunder off in the distance. It became too much for him though and his eyes rolled in the back of his head before he passed out.

* * *

"Cedric!" Hermione gasped, shaking him gently, the rain pouring down now and she shook her head slightly to get the water droplets from out of her eyes. "Cedric, wake up. Please!"

Her head was still pounding and she had no idea how she had managed to get herself down from Gryffindor Tower to the Quidditch Pitch but she had made it, practically crawling across the ground to where he laid, being too weak to stand anymore. Her entire body ached as if it had been thrown against a wall repeatedly and she had never experienced such pain before. She had no idea where those visions had come from but the instant Cedric tried to push the spell away, the moment he tried to fight it, both were punished for it.

The strength of the spell terrified her – so much, that it nearly made her weep. Cedric's thoughts kept echoing in her mind. He was sick of this. He didn't want this, or her, anymore. He wanted things to go back to how they used to be. He wanted to go backwards, before he even knew her. She thought he loved her but now, she began to wonder if it was just because of the spell. She knew that without the spell, they never would have spoken to one another let alone know one another. Without the spell, she would probably be… she didn't know. Pining for Ron or something though that was a thought that made her shudder with disgust. He was like her brother. Cedric on the other hand… she loved him. Didn't she?

Of course she did. She scolded herself for even the briefest of thoughts that doubted that. She loved Cedric more than anything. More than life. She knew that without the spell, she probably would have as well. He was everything she could ever want. He was handsome and kind and intelligent and the way he was to her – so sweet and gentle – he was the kind of man most women envisioned spending their lives with.

Ever since the second task and things between them really began to take a turn, she had spent countless hours researching though information on being Bound was quite limited. She read the same chapters in books over and over, searching for clues, though she wasn't sure what she was searching for anymore. They had clearly switched roles though. At the beginning, Hermione was desperate for this to end, wanting to find the magic to break this binding spell and Cedric was the one reluctant to change anything between them. But now… she was making him miserable and her heart felt as if it was shattering over and over with the thought.

"Cedric," Hermione said, shaking him with a bit more force.

He groaned softly, his eyes squinting slightly and Hermione smiled, happiness elating through her, cupping his cheeks in her hands and planting kisses all over his face.

"You're awake," she stated the obvious but she didn't care.

Cedric groaned again, a hand going to his head, grateful that the excruciating pain had left and now all that was left was a slight headache. Hermione leaned back on her knees, her hands slipping from his face and he immediately missed her touched. He peeled his eyes open, staring up at her. The rain was falling down, her hair drenched, drops rolling down her face, and she looked absolutely beautiful. He lifted his other hand towards her cheek but she shook her head, gently pushing it back down. He frowned, forcing himself to sit up. They were both soaked and muddy and yet, going inside didn't even cross his mind. He kept staring at her.

"Are you alright?" He asked and she nodded her head though Cedric noticed immediately that she was barely able to meet his eyes for more than a few seconds at the time. She definitely wasn't alright. "Does your head hurt? How did you get down here? How could you even walk?"

"I don't know," Hermione whispered, glancing at him and unable to stop herself, she reached out and brushed back some of the hair plastered to his forehead. "I could barely walk but… I made it. I felt you and... I had to see that you were alright. I felt your pain."

He reached out to touch her again but she again refused his hand and managed to stand up, her legs a bit shaky beneath her. Cedric stared up at her, frowning. His head was still spinning but he ignored that for the time being and forced himself to stand up as well. He nearly toppled over again as soon as he was on his feet and fell into Hermione, her thin arms wrapping around his frame, trying to keep him up.

"You passed out, Cedric. You need to take it easy for a few minutes," she advised but he ignored her words as well and stared down at her.

"You do not make me miserable," Cedric informed her, knowing that she was pulling away from him because of his earlier thoughts.

"I'm so tired, Cedric," Hermione whispered, tears brimming in her eyes, threatening to fall down her cheeks at any moment. "I just wish…" she took a shaky breath and his hands tightened its grip on her hips when he read her thoughts. He didn't want to her say the words, let alone even think them. They ripped into him like stray chunks of shrapnel and the pain ripping through his chest was becoming too much. He felt as if he was going to fall on the ground again. He shook his head fiercely but Hermione put her hands on his cheeks, making him look her in the eyes. "I wish this had never happened between us."

"No, Hermione," Cedric immediately argued. "Don't stay that."

"But it's the truth, Cedric." Her hand swept up to his forehead, resting there as if she was checking to see whether or not he had a fever. "You're thinking it too. I know you are. You wish that none of this had ever happened. You wish… you don't want this anymore. You don't want _me_. You said so yourself. You are miserable being like this." She paused, her chin trembling as she tried controlling her tears. "This spell is destroying us."

He shook his head again. Yes, he may have thought those things for milliseconds before he took it all back. He loved Hermione. He needed Hermione. It wasn't just the spell. He knew he truly did. He didn't know what he would do if he didn't have her. She had become such a part of him, there was no future for him without her.

When Hermione turned to leave, he grabbed her wrist, spinning her back around towards him. "I love you," he said forcefully, holding her tightly, making it impossible for her to leave.

"Because you have to!" She suddenly exclaimed, struggling to break free of his grip. "You HAVE to love me, Cedric! Neither of us had any say in any of this! All of those earlier lives, we just blindly went along with it. We let it run our lives. We let the spell rule us and we never tried to stop it. This time, I want to stop it! I refuse to be with you, or any man, who is miserable to be with me!"

"I am not miserable being with you! I thought that, yes, but just for a second! I'm tired too, Hermione but that does not mean anything!" Cedric shouted back as she pushed him in the chest, stumbling out of his arms.

The rain began falling harder, blurring their vision, making it almost impossible to see the castle now or the stands that surrounded the Quidditch pitch. They could hardly see one another and Cedric reached out, snatching her wrist.

"I took it all back though!" He continued, his fingers squeezing her, keeping her close. "I know I love you! I know I need you!"

"No, you don't!" She cried and then choked slightly as some of the rain poured into her mouth and down her throat. "The spell loves me. The spell needs me. Not you!"

She coughed again and Cedric went completely still. This was it. This was his dream. Hermione and the water. It had all been so unclear in his dreams and he had never been able to fully see what happened but now, he knew. The water choking her. She was going to get sick. Standing in the cold rain, she was going to get pneumonia and they wouldn't be able to cure her. Her lungs would slowly fill with liquid and she would drown in her hospital bed. It hadn't been water like in a lake that drowned her like he had always thought. He heard her coughing in the rain and he immediately knew.

That was how Hermione Granger was going to die.

"Mione! I have to get you out of here!" Cedric shouted, beginning to panic.

God, please don't let it be too late, he thought to himself as he snatched the struggling girl but he had height and weight on her and despite her efforts to try and get away, he grabbed hold of her and threw her over his shoulder like some sort of caveman.

He was not going to let her get sick. He had to get her to the castle and into some warm dry clothes before sitting her in front of the fire and refusing her to leave. Hermione continued struggling, demanding that he put her down, but he ignored her and tried to walk up the hill that led back to the castle. His legs still felt weak from the blackout and the searing images that had burned his mind and the ground was so muddy, he had difficulty finding sturdy footing.

Hermione hit his back with her small fists though nothing she did seemed to be effecting him whatsoever. She couldn't tell if tears were rolling down her cheeks or if it was just the rain. She didn't want him holding her. She didn't want him anywhere near her. She wanted him to leave her alone. He had no idea how much he had hurt her with those thoughts of his – no matter how brief he had had them for. He was miserable with her. He didn't love her. She would do anything for him and she knew, deep within herself, that it wasn't because of the spell. She was in love with him.

He, on the other hand, was in love with her because of their enchantment and she wanted nothing to do with him right then. Her heart was ripping apart in her chest only to put itself back together so it could shred itself over and over again. He was hurting her. Couldn't he feel that? Couldn't he feel what he was doing to her now?

Cedric's foot slipped and before he could balance himself, he fell forward, him and Hermione falling into the mud on the ground with a thud. She scrambled away from him, her own feet sliding in the mud, making it nearly impossible for her to stand up. She couldn't believe how muddy the Hogwarts grounds were but this was a heavy storm and it seemed to only be growing worse. The sky above was black as pitch and the ground seemed to shake with the rolls of thunder.

She supposed that they made quite a scene – both completely soaked and covered in mud with Cedric crawling after her as she scooted backwards away from him. She could see their scars shining such a bright red, it was nearly blinding. She had read that scars didn't just react to the passion between them but played more on their emotions. She was so furious at the moment, it did not surprise Hermione that the red glow was as powerful as it was now.

"Stop it, Cedric!" She screamed as he tackled her successfully, pinning her on her back, his fingers locking her hands above her head.

"I love you! I love you so fucking much and not just because of some bleedin' spell!" He shouted at her. "You don't make me miserable except when you make me do crazy shite like this! Stop trying to get away from me!"

"I have to set us free, Cedric. Living like this is killing us!"

He frowned with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I have to do this!"

"Do what?" He had to shout as the thunder rumbled, it sounding as if it was right over their heads now.

"I have to say the words that we have never said during all of our lives together!" Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes welling with tears and she stared directly up into his face. And then, as loud as she could, with all of the air in her lungs, she shouted: "I hate you, Cedric!"

As soon as the words passed her lips and echoed into the storm around them, the red glows instantly turned and shone a great blinding white light and almost immediately after, both Cedric and Hermione fell into a still heap onto the ground, their hearts stopping.


	11. My Entire Life is Found In You

_A/N: The last chapter of this story. Please read and review. Thank you to all for reading and for those who took the time to let me know what they thought of this little story of mine. I tried to make the explanation of everything that happens in this chapter as clear as possibly but I don't know if I succeeded. I hope I haven't confused too many people. And I also hope this story has been enjoyed by most. "Thank you" doesn't seem like sufficient enough words for how grateful I am to all of you. _

* * *

Chapter Eleven - My Entire Life is Found In You

Cedric awoke first.

He felt as if he had been beaten to a bloody pulp and he could barely move his body. His head was pounding steadily and loudly and it felt as if it hurt to even breathe. He was lying on a bed though he knew that the mattress wasn't the one he had in his bedroom. It was too hard and felt foreign underneath him. He heard a steady buzzing in his ear and it took him a moment to realize that someone was talking to him but he couldn't decipher the words just yet.

Where was he? Why did it feel as if he had been sleeping for months? And why was his body in so much pain? What the hell happened to him?

"Cedric?" The voice spoke again, gently, slowly, and a hand came to his shoulder.

It felt as if it took every ounce of available strength in his body to open his eyes even though they felt as if the lids had been glued shut. He groaned in pain when the first thing he saw when he finally did blink his eyes open was the bright sunlight pouring through the large window directly across from his bed. He weakly pushed himself backwards against the pillow, as if trying to hide himself, and he heard someone's hurried footsteps. A moment later, the curtains were drawn and the sunlight was gone. Cedric took a deep shaky breath and stopped squinting his eyes to see where he was. He immediately frowned when he recognized the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

He then noticed who surrounded his bed. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Sprout all were there, staring at him closing, identical frowns marring their faces. Turning his head to the right, he saw Harry Potter and Ron Weasley there as well but they were more preoccupied with watching the person in the bed next to Cedric's. It took him a moment of staring at her face to realize that it was the other third member of the famous Potter trio: Hermione Granger. She looked to be as pale as the white bed sheets she laid on and Cedric frowned before looking at the professors.

"What happened?" He croaked out, his throat hurting and his voice not at all sounding like his own.

"What was the last clear thing you remember, Cedric?" Dumbledore asked, his voice so calm, it almost made Cedric nervous from the simple question.

Cedric took a moment to answer as he tried to think of the last thing that had happened to him before he woke up there in the hospital at school. "The Quidditch World Cup. I was leaving home with my dad to meet… the Weasley family," he said, his eyes glancing over at Ron, who was now staring at him.

"That is the last _clear_ thing you remember?" Dumbledore pressed, emphasizing the words carefully.

Cedric stared at the headmaster for a moment before nodding his head slowly. Was that the wrong answer? What was he supposed to remember. "What happened? Why am I here?"

"You and Hermione were found passed out outside in the rain," Harry answered before any of the professors could even open their mouths.

Cedric's frown grew heavier and his head pounded harder. He shook it slightly as if trying to shake some sense into it. "I don't… Why were me and Hermione outside?"

He didn't even know her. What on earth would he possibly be doing outside with her in the rain of all places? He had never even spoken to her before. What was going on? Why was everyone staring at him as if they were waiting for an explanation from him. He didn't know what the bleeding hell was going on. He needed one of _them_ to give him the answers.

"What happened to me?" He finally asked.

Dumbledore stepped forward. "May I see your arm, Cedric?" He asked and then without waiting for actual permission, the professor took his left arm and pushed the sleeve of the hospital gown up to his elbow, exposing the scar he had always had though he could never remember where it came from – about three inches starting at his left wrist. His mother had always called it his heart scar since it looked like half of one.

Looking at the scar now however, it looked as if it had been severely burned. The skin was almost black and charred and Cedric's stomach rolled at the sight of it. What had happened to it? What had happened to _him_?

"Harry, please show me Hermione's right arm," Dumbledore instructed and Harry did as he was told without pause. As the older man suspected, the identical scare on Hermione's wrist was just as black and charred as Cedric's was. He sighed heavily, almost in relief, before looking at McGonagall and Sprout. "I believe it is finished."

Sprout closed her eyes, a look of relief on her face, and McGonagall sighed softly as well, her shoulders drooping as if a weight had just been lifted off of them.

"What is?" Cedric demanded, his eyes managing to tear away from Hermione's arm to look at the three professors but they ignored him for the time being as they continued talking amongst themselves.

"I don't think anyone has ever successfully broken a passion spell before," Dumbledore said. "But what is the complete opposite of love?"

"Hate," Pomona whispered and Dumbledore nodded his head.

"If one of them had said it to the other and in that moment, truly believed that they did hate them… then perhaps," Minerva trailed off, looking at Cedric and then Hermione, still asleep in her hospital bed. "Is it truly broken though? After all of this time, after all of their lives…"

"It seems to be. We will wait until Ms. Granger wakes up to be certain," Dumbledore advised and the two women nodded their heads in agreement.

"So, all of this time, all either of them had to say was 'I hate you' and that would be the end of it all? That's it?" Ron asked with a frown.

Cedric's head was spinning. What were they talking about? All of this time? Passion spells? He felt like he was going to be sick. Everything in his body ached and the conversation taking place around him was not helping matters for him in the least. He looked over at Hermione, still asleep, and wondered if she knew about anything that seemed to be going on. He wondered if she knew if they had been together outside in the first place? He had never spoken to her in his life before so being with her under any circumstance seemed slightly ludicrous to him.

It looked as if Dumbledore wanted to smile but he was too tired and still too concerned with the current events to do so. "When one is one half of a passion spell, 'I hate you' is the hardest thing to say since the amount of love you feel for the other person is so overpowering. It took a great deal of strength to even think it, let alone say it and have oneself believe in the words."

Cedric couldn't take it anymore. It was as if they were all speaking some type of foreign language he couldn't even begin to understand. "Someone has to tell me what is going on. Right now," he added with as much force as his exhausted body could muster.

Everyone looked at him as if they had forgotten that he was there and awake. Dumbledore tried once again to smile but he couldn't bring himself to form one. He looked over at Hermione before back at Cedric, the already old man looking so many more years aged than ever.

He looked at Cedric steadily, calmly. "When Hermione wakes, we will tell you both everything that has happened over the past few months."

* * *

Two days had passed and Hermione wondered if the feverish whispers that seemed to follow her wherever she went would ever stop. She tried to ignore it all but it was almost impossible. People stared at her, pointed and then would cover their mouths with their hands as they leaned over and whispered something to their companions. Some would actually come up to her and ask her questions she didn't know the answers to. Each one started the same: Did you and Cedric… but they varied after that.

Did you and Cedric elope together but then your parents found out and forced you back to school?

Did you and Cedric really have sex three times a day? Is he as big as Cho says he is?

Did you and Cedric really read each other's thoughts?

Did you and Cedric really try to kill one another?

And so on and so on. It took every fiber of her self-control to not just yell for everyone to shove off. She just wanted to be left alone and these questions were preposterous and only made her feel worse. She didn't know any of the answers and she didn't know what questions could possibly be true and which ones were just spouted from the large rumor mill that seemed to have swallowed everyone in Hogwarts whole.

Ron and Harry had become her bodyguards. No one could get close to her and they remained on either side of her for most of the day. Of course, they couldn't watch her twenty-four hours a day and that was when people felt brave enough to approach her and ask her those never-ending questions.

Her mind couldn't stop thinking about everything that Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Sprout had told both her and Cedric as they laid in their beds in the hospital wing. Of being Bound to one another, of their lives, or their shared thoughts and hearts and souls. Of it being broken and now, being nothing more than strangers to one another. Cedric hadn't seemed to believe a single word of any of it and refused to look at her, muttering over and over to himself how crazy this all was.

The instant Madame Pomfrey released both of them from the hospital, Hermione nearly ran to the library with Ron and Harry on her heels, neither willing to let her out of their sights. She stayed there for nearly five hours until she found what she was looking for:

_The History of Love and Their Spells _but more specifically, her intent interest lied in chapter fourteen. _To Be Bound To Another Individual. _She read the passages over and over again, wondering if there was a minute possibility of Professor Dumbledore's words being the truth. She didn't know if she could allow herself to believe such a thing. It was such unheard magic before and more powerful than anything in the wizardry world. She couldn't bring herself to accept it though no matter what the professors had told her or what she had read.

According the chapter fourteen, a binding spell started with nearly the beginning of time. Two individual souls would find one another and merge as one in a spell that would last through all eternity. After each life ended, another would begin and they would find one another again only to start it all over again. It was an endless cycle – one that would only seem to end when time did. There were so many things unknown about that spell that no one could ever be quite certain about. No one knew, for instance, where the spell came from or how it chose which people to effect. Two souls bound together forever and no one knew the first thing about it.

Hermione didn't remember anything that had happened over the past few months. The last clear thought she had was waking up at the Burrow over the summer to attend the Quidditch World Cup. After that, there was just a black emptiness where her memories should have been. Harry and Ron didn't want to tell her about anything that had happened, convinced that they were protecting her by doing so, but she heard more than enough from their fellow classmates.

Cedric had saved her from the lake in the second task. She was what he valued most. They met all over the castle, stealing whispers and quick kisses with one another before having to go off to their respected classes. They snogged one another in plain sight of everyone in the Great Hall on weekends and then would sneak out at night to be together. Hermione dreamt and woke up, screams echoing throughout the castle as she spoke of Voldemort.

She heard it all but she didn't remember any of it. She didn't remember anything that had to do with Cedric. She didn't even know Cedric except that he was a handsome intelligent sixth year student from Hufflepuff.

Ron and Harry constantly asked if she was alright but she could only nod her head, offering a small smile before going back to her schoolwork or book she was reading. She couldn't sleep for her mind was too busy thinking of everything that had apparently happened since the beginning of the school year and she didn't seem to have much of an appetite either, giving her hardly touched plates at mealtimes to Ron for him to finish for her.

Cedric seemed to have returned to the way his life used to be. Although he didn't remember participating in the first two tasks, he was determined to participate in the third for the Tri-Wizard tournament and he was even more determined to win it all. He threw himself into training, running around the Quidditch Pitch until his legs felt as if they were about to collapse. If he kept himself busy, he didn't have time to think of anything except for the third task and for avoiding Cho. The girl seemed to think that now whatever he and Hermione had had together was over and done with, she could move in on him again.

He knew that he had always had a thing for Cho, especially since he couldn't remember anything with Hermione, but something felt strange now. He didn't enjoy her company like he used to. He didn't want her kissing him or hugging him or just being near him. He didn't understand it much himself but being with her just didn't feel right to him anymore. He didn't know what the hell felt right to him anymore.

"Oh, no!"

He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that Cedric hadn't even realized as he walked through the hallway heading towards his Potions class that he had run into someone until he heard the clatter of books that hit the floor with large bangs like cannonballs.

"I'm sorry," he immediately said, dropping to his knees to aid the young witch.

He stilled though when their eyes met and he found himself looking into the face of none other than Hermione Granger. She stilled as well and for a few moments that seemed to last for at least a handful of hours, they did nothing but stare at each other. He tilted his head slightly, examining her closely, trying to find something there on her face or in her eyes that sparked something resembling recognition. He couldn't find anything though. He did not know this young woman in front of him and he still didn't believe that he ever had.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but then she shook her head slightly, deciding against it, and went back to putting all of her concentration on picking up her books so she wouldn't have to look at him further.

Cedric kept staring at her however. She was quite pretty. "Do you believe everything that... well, that the professors said? About us?" Cedric asked her, almost nervously.

Hermione shrugged, not meeting his eyes as she tried to straighten her rolls of parchment and all of her books in her messenger bag slung onto her shoulder. "I don't know. I feel so strange... like a movie with scenes missing." She wasn't sure why she had admitted that to him but it was too late now to take it back. She was being truthful. She did feel strange and had ever since she had woken up in that hospital bed.

"Yeah... I know what you mean. I feel... almost empty," Cedric said as they both stood up and he put his hands in the front pockets of his trousers.

She made the mistake of tilting her head up and looking into his eyes. Once she did that, she was absolutely lost in those grey orbs of his and she couldn't look away. It scared her, being around him like this. She hated this sense of confusion that plagued her. Hermione was not used to knowing everything that was going on with her and she wished that all of this would just stop.

A silence fell between them and Hermione shifted nervously on her feet, slowly edging past him, finding it difficult to move her eyes away from his. "Good luck on the third task, Cedric," she said softly.

Cedric turned to watch her go but at the last moment, before she stepped just out of his reach, he shot his hand out with the skills of a talented seeker and snatched her wrist. Hermione's eyes widened and she stared at him. He pulled her gently back a step towards him and then looking around, remembering that they were standing in the middle of the hallway and that there were already more than enough rumors concerning them flying around, he led her into a small dark alcove, hiding them from curious eyes that might be peering.

"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed, panicked that someone would walk in on them at any moment. His fingers were still wrapped around her wrist and though it wasn't a tight grasp in the least, she didn't even struggle to get away from him. She didn't know why she didn't. She needed to get out of there. She needed to get away from him. Things were too confusing between them to be around him.

"Who do you think said it?" He asked and seeing her frown with confusion, he clarified. "_I hate you_. Who do you think said that? Did I say that to you or did you say it to me, do you think?"

"I thought you didn't believe in it. That's what you said in the hospital wing," she reminded him as if he could ever forget anything that had transpired that day.

He was silent for a moment and then shrugged. "Our entire lives are run by magic. Maybe…" he sighed heavily and slowly released her wrist. "I don't know," he said softly. "I don't know what any of it is. I look at you and I don't… I don't remember anything. I don't even know you."

For some reason unbeknownst to her, Hermione felt her heart sink in her chest and she nodded her head, hugging the books that wouldn't fit into her bag to her chest. She stared down at the floor and told herself that she should leave the alcove now.

"It seems so unbelievable," Cedric whispered and he wondered if he was talking to her or to himself.

The alcove was small and narrow enough to where when Cedric leaned back against the wall opposite of her, his hand could still reach out and touch her comfortably if he chose to do so. He did not though. He continued staring at her, trying to imagine. Trying to remember.

"I should get to class," Hermione said but Cedric grabbed her again before she could.

"I want to kiss you," he declared and for the second in a matter of minutes, Hermione's eyes widened as she stared at him. He almost smiled at her shock and surprise but the situation was far too serious at the moment for that. "I just need to know. Don't you want to know?"

"If we were ever connected, which we both feel we were not, but if we were, we aren't anymore so I don't see what kissing me is going to prove," Hermione said.

She gasped when he suddenly pushed himself off of the wall and she barely had time to realize that one of his hands went to her hip and he pushed her until her back was pressed against the wall behind her, his other hand planted on the bricks next to her head, successfully pinning her there. She gulped, tilting her head up to look at him, his grey eyes dark like a storm and his jaw sharp and clenched as he stared at her. She felt her skin flush and a shiver shoot down her spine. His body was so close to hers, if someone was to glance into the alcove and see them, they would be confused into thinking that they were an intimate couple.

"Cedric, don't," she whispered.

"I have to know, Hermione," he whispered in response.

And with that, he cupped her cheeks in both of his hands and before she could breathe, or think or speak, his mouth descended onto hers and he kissed her hard and passionately, pushing her more against the wall. Hermione remained paralyzed for a moment, feeling Cedric's lips on hers, his mouth covering hers, his tongue slowly pushing into her mouth.

Putting both hands on his shoulders, she managed to push him off of her slightly. Both stared at one another, panting for air. She felt her lips tingle and her entire body begin to hum – just from one kiss. She was so confused and yet, she didn't care at the moment. She stared at him and he stared at her and then he smiled – an actual smile – but just for a moment because Hermione threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. Cedric responded instantly, his mouth moving with hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her, her feet dangling off the floor.

"Saffron Crocus," Cedric murmured against her lips as he smelled the sweet fragrance in the air.

He stepped forward and pressed her back against the alcove wall. Her feet still hung above the floor but he pressed to her so tightly that his body kept her from falling. Hermione's fingers tangled in his hair, grasping the locks, keeping his mouth firmly attached to hers.

Things began appearing in front of them as they continued kissing one another in clips so quick, they almost didn't have time to register what they were looking at.

Stars exploding.

The earth forming at the beginning of time.

Two babies being born, crying as they entered the world, one with a scar on their left arm while the other had a scar on their right one.

A man with a hood over his face blowing what looked to be dust into a cauldron bubbling over a fire, whispering an ancient incantation. The trees of the woods surrounding him rustling in a heavy wind.

"_True love_," he whispers in a low voice.

The man who would become Amos Diggory in this present life handing the hooded man a sack of what could be used for currency. _"My son is dying. Save him."_

The fire under the cauldron rising higher, bringing the contents of the cauldron to a boil. The man takes the money and tosses it into the liquid, a large hiss releasing and red sparks shooting out.

"_Your son is weak. He needs another life to cling to_," the man whispers.

"_Do what you have to," _Amos pleads.

The man whispers more words into the cauldron, more red sparks flying out as a response. _"True love," _he whispers again, closing his eyes, letting the smoke float up into his face as he leans over the fire. _"Two lives will become one. Forever. True love will never die."_

The man reaches into his cloak and pulls out a small purple flower that was foreign to that land. Amos watches as he crushes the flower in his palms and then tosses the remnants into the cauldron.

"_The flower will not wilt. Their souls will not lose one another. Their hearts will beat as one. They will always live for one another like the flower lives for the water," _the man whispers and then speaks something over and over again so lowly, no one can hear him.

Numquam periit amor. Love never dies.

Numquam periit amor. Love never dies.

The words the man whispered, Cedric and Hermione could feel them ripping through their bodies as they continued kissing in that alcove, clinging to one another as a sudden wind roared in their ears and a white light broke through the blackened charred scars on their arms. The light was so bright, it lit up the entire alcove and shone into the hallway. Still, Cedric and Hermione continued kissing one another.

"I remember everything," Hermione gasped against his lips.

"We are not Bound," Cedric responded. "Everyone thought it was but…"

"True Love is stronger," she whispered. She looked at him, both of them panting heavily as they tried to catch their breaths. The light still shone and the mysterious wind kept blowing. "We have True Love between us."

"I can feel you," he said, squeezing his arms around her, holding her tightly. "I forgot but now…"

"Our fathers were friends. You were dying and my father offered to help you," Hermione said and Cedric nodded his head quickly as the answers poured from them.

The answers to all of their questions had been there all along. They just had to be reawakened. They were so convinced that they were Bound but that wasn't the magic working its power on them. It had been True Love. It always had been. Something so much more powerful and stronger than any binding spell.

"Part of your life was given to me," Cedric said. "We each only have half of a life but together-"

"We are finally whole," Hermione finished, tears glistening in her eyes, a smile on her face. She _did_ feel whole again. She felt happy and she felt her heart expanding in her chest as she stared at Cerdic, her fingers playing with the hairs on the back of his head. "True Love never dies. That's why-"

"We keep finding each other in all of these different lives," he concluded, smiling at her, his lips pressing soft kisses all over her face. "The True Love let us believe we were Bound because we were so convinced we were. All of the signs pointed to it but-"

"True Love let us see what we wanted to see," Hermione said, her eyes closed as she felt Cedric kiss every inch of her that his lips could reach without pulling away from her. "It made us miserable because it was not what we truly had. We were both so tired and hated what was between us, thinking and feeling everything the other did, I truly believed that I hated you for thinking things that broke my heart."

"You screamed you hated me and the curse True Love had punished us with was broken," Cedric said. "True Love had punished us for not believing in it. For believing in something else."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she smiled at him. "I love you," she whispered.

He closed his eyes as her words rolled over him like the most euphoric sensation to ever be experienced in this world. "I love you," he whispered, staring at her. "And I will never forget again. I will never doubt it again. I will always remember what we have."

"True Love," she whispered, laughing slightly before pressing her lips to his passionately, clinging to him. "That was what the white light was. Before we died and woke again."

Cedric smiled, nodding. "White. For True Love. For us."

Answers finally flowed over their minds like a smooth rock in a riverbed. The mystery was gone. They hadn't been Bound. That had been nothing more than a punishment for trying to deny something far greater between them. True Love was so powerful, it allowed them to believe that until it was time they were truly ready to see what they had. They saw everything now though.

* * *

The instant Cedric died in the maze during the third task two nights later, Hermione knew it immediately. Her hand went to her chest and she could feel her heart slowing down and she could feel her insides being lifted, preparing to go and meet him on the other side.

Her time here was done. She had to go. Where one went, the other followed. From the beginning to the end of eternity. Always together.

She turned and looked at Ron and Harry standing next to her, watching the maze, eagerly awaiting the first contestant to emerge triumphant, neither knowing that Cedric was dead. No one in the stands did. She watched them, tears forming in her eyes and then rolling down her cheeks.

Without a word, she threw her arms around both of them, hugging them tightly.

"Mione?" Ron said, confused, patting her back as he craned his neck past her, still trying to watch the entrance to the maze. "Don't be nervous. Hogwarts is going to win."

Harry wrapped his arm around her, hugging her, almost laughing at how silly she was being. There was no need to be nervous. She had to watch so she wouldn't miss Cedric be the first to emerge with the cup. Hogwarts WAS going to win that year.

Hermione took a shaky breath. It was time to go. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she hugged them as tightly as she could. She almost wished she could take them with her but that was impossible. Harry and Ron had so much more to do in their lives here.

"In all of my lives, you two are the best friends I have ever had. I love you both so much," she whispered in their ears.

They both stiffened at her words, as if they now just understood what was wrong, but they felt her go limp and when Ron gently pulled her back so they could look at her, she was already dead.

* * *

It was peaceful there – the sun shining, the tall green grass blowing in a gentle breeze, small puffs of white clouds moving leisurely across the brilliant blue sky. He was sitting underneath a tree waiting for her and he grinned, getting to his feet the instant he saw her hopping over the small trickling creek. She saw him and then breaking into a carefree laughter, she began running towards him. He reached her first and lifted her up in his arms, grinning when she laughed as he spun her around in circles.

When he placed her on her feet again, she looked up at him with a mock pout on her face.

"You beat me here," she said.

"For once," he laughed.

"Was it terribly painful?" She asked, her hand going to his chest where she knew the curse had hit him.

Cedric shrugged. "I don't really remember anymore," he said. "He was an ugly bastard though. I remember that." He paused, his thumb sweeping over the apple of her cheek. "Did you get to say goodbye to them?"

"Yes," she sighed with relief. "Will Harry be able to defeat him, do you think?"

"I think next time we go, there will be great stories about Harry and Ron and their victory over Voldemort," Cedric assured her and she broke into a smile, grateful for his words, knowing that he was right.

She stood up on her tip toes and throwing her arms around his neck, kissed him square on the mouth. He held her, kissing her, and she squealed with laughter when he pulled her down into the grass. Their surroundings were familiar to both. They had been there countless times before. After one life ended, they always went there to wait until the next one began.

Cedric rolled them over so he was lying on his back and Hermione was sprawled on top of him. She felt his chest lift her head with each breath he took and she closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face.

"Where do you think we'll be next time?" She asked him.

Cedric didn't answer for a moment, his fingers instead playing with her hair. "We'll find out soon enough. I hope it's somewhere warmer than England though."

She laughed softly at that, lifting her head and pressing a kiss to his chin. "Don't worry, Cedric. I will _always_ be there to keep you warm."

The End.


End file.
